Gilles Boisvert studied at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal in 1958 and 1959. He then completed his training with various internships, notably with Albert Dumouchel. In 1966, he participated in the group exhibition Présence des jeunes, at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. During his career, he produced numerous public art projects, including Les oiseaux (1973), a mural measuring 27 m by 3 m at the Maison de Radio-Canada in Montréal. His works have been in almost 200 solo and group exhibitions.
Artwork description
Presented in the outdoor site of the Musée de Lachine, the artwork is composed of two triangular modules: one in which a number of silhouettes balanced on each other form an openwork column, and a second in which silhouettes of three human figures of different sizes are holding hands. These silhouettes, painted yellow, red, blue, and white, are cut out of steel sheets and recall the “paper chains” that children make.
This artwork, acquired in the context of the International Year of the Family, features the human figure, a subject that is almost omnipresent in Gilles Boisvert’s work. Treated here in a flattened form, human figures are the main element of the sculpture. By the way the silhouettes are assembled, the artwork seems to evoke the connections and solidarity that are the basis of social structures such as families and communities.