Claude Vermette was born in Montréal in 1930 and studied art with Brother Jerome at Collège Notre-Dame. Then, Vermette joined the Automatists but did not sign their manifesto, Refus Global, because he was too young. During a trip to Europe, in 1952, he developed an interest in ceramics. This material was prominent in his body of work, alongside painting and printmaking. A pioneer of integration of art with architecture, his work is featured in a number of Métro stations in Montréal, including Place-des-Arts, Saint-Laurent, Jean-Talon, and McGill. He died in 2006.
Artwork description
Created in 1964, this mural displayed inside a National Bank branch is an excellent example of Claude Vermette’s esthetic interests. Made of stoneware in tones of orange, the work is typical of the artist’s style, closely related in from to other murals he produced during the same period, in particular, the murals in the Beaubien and Saint-Laurent subway stations. Whether his works appeared on the outside or inside of buildings, Claude Vermette insisted that his art be an integral part of architectural project, not simply appliedto buildings as a decorative afterthought.