June 29, 2015

MUSÉE D’ART CONTEMPORAIN DE MONTRÉAL

Someone had lied. Or hadn’t told the whole truth. In her dream, her only dream, played over and over since childhood, she had a solo show at the Musée d’art contemporain. She walked down this corridor. Composed and collected. Beautiful and slim. Witty and popular. Into the waiting arms of an adoring world. (A Trick of the Light, Chapter One, Paperback Edition)

Dedicated exclusively to contemporary art, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) is the perfect setting for a Chief Inspector Gamache novel. The MACM has been described by one visitor as “Inspiring, provocative, and rewarding.” Pretty much how we sum up every Louise Penny novel!

Located on St. Catherine Street, Montreal’s main thoroughfare, the MACM was established in 1964 by a cooperative of both artists and collectors with the mission to “make known, promote and preserve contemporary Québec art and to ensure a place for international contemporary art through acquisitions, exhibitions and other cultural activities.”

The building itself, designed by the award-winning Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectural firm, is a site to behold. Decidedly postmodern, composed of multiple angles, and topped with a giant pair of red lips. That’s right. A giant pair of red lips. The work of the gifted artist Geneviève Cadieux, the lips are actually her mother’s and Cadieux says the piece represents the “the idea of the feminine voice” as she feels “it’s very important for women to have a voice and be seen.” It would seem Louise subscribes to that very same maxim, don’t you think?

Inside the seven-story structure you’ll find diverse exhibition spaces, a theater, a library, and a multimedia room which are all anchored by its spectacular rotunda that represents the “pursuit of Drapeau-era ideals: the creation of a central artistic hub.”

Past exhibitions have included an amazing Jean-Luc Godard retrospective on his personal thoughts and images from the history of cinema, Karel Funk’s hyperrealistic paintings (see image here), and Young and Giroux’s re-examination of mid-twentieth-century modernism and the representation of consumer products.

Upcoming exhibitions this year include the work of David Altmejd, who, in creating his one-of-a-kind masterpieces, works with Plexiglas, polyurethane foam, synthetic hair, latex paint, glass eyes, domestic goose feathers, coconuts, and coffee grounds!

For more information on the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal please visit the following link.

Who here has visited the MACM?

MORRIN CENTRE, QUEBEC / THE LITERARY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

“Inspector Langlois told me a body has been found in the basement of the Literary and Historical Society.” Gamache watched her as he spoke. “It wasn’t a natural death.” (Bury Your Dead, Chapter 3)

Founded in 1824 and housed in Morrin College (now the Morrin Centre) since 1868, The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec was Canada’s first scholarly order. Their aims are diverse but the preservation of Canadian history and the pursuit of knowledge are writ foremost in their charter.

That said there are plenty of bodies buried in their basement. . . .

The first structure to stand where The Literary and Historical Society now resides was part of Fort Quebec. Erected in 1712, the stronghold, known as the Royal Redoubt, housed soldiers and prisoners during the height of the Colonial Wars. Due to malnutrition and the prevalence of disease, many of these prisoners perished before the fortress was finally razed in 1808.

In 1812, Quebec’s first prison or the “common gaol” opened its gates at this location. Severely overcrowded and exceptionally filthy even for the time, the jail saw no running water until the 1850s. It housed both men and women and over a dozen of those men were hanged, their bodies strung out over the main entrance. Closed in 1867, remains of the gaol can still be seen in the basement of the Literary and Historical Society. Among the remnants is this graffiti (pictured here) from one Christopher Paul, an English sailor who was imprisoned in 1850.

In 1868, Morrin College, Quebec City’s principle English language institution welcomed its first class of students who sought higher education in Divinity, Law, and the Arts. While persistently underfunded and suffering from low enrollment, the college was very progressive for its time and admitted female B.A. candidates. One notable graduate was Dr. Margaret Ethel Fraser who went on to run the American Women’s Hospital Services in France during World War One.

The college shuttered its doors in 1902 and eventually became what the Morrin Centre is today. The Centre, by way of oversight from the Literary and Historical Society, now hosts concert performances, corporate events, and weddings. But, the real highlight of this Quebec City treasure is the English-Language Library which houses over 20,000 volumes of rare tomes. The Centre itself urges you to visit this hallowed hall and tell them what the room reminds you of—“Scenes from Louise Penny’s Bury Your Dead? Disney’s Beauty and the Beast? The magical library in the Harry Potter series?”

To plan your visit, go to morrin.

Did you know that Tours Voir Québec offers a 2½-hour Bury Your Dead walking tour?
Our quebec city tours bury your dead

Have you taken the tour?

THE GENERAL STORE—GEORGEVILLE, QUEBEC / THREE PINES

The dark wooden shelves were neatly stacked with tins. Sacks of dog food and birdseed leaned against the counter. Above the shelves were old boxes with backgammon games. Checkers, Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly. Paint by numbers and jigsaw puzzles were stacked in the neat, orderly rows. Dried goods were displayed along one wall, paint, boots, birdfeeders were down another. (The Brutal Telling, Chapter 14)

I’m a sucker for General Stores. From the worn hardwood floors to the super stocked shelves of everything you could possibly need; wine, cheese, hats, gloves, pocket knives, maple syrup, and—if you’re lucky—a big old barrel of peanuts that you can shuck and freely discard the shells right there on those well-worn floors.

Whenever I get the chance I spend hours reveling in the history of these iconic establishments which sadly had their heyday in the late 18th century. That said, if you look hard enough and take the roads less traveled, you can still find them out there well beyond the neon signs of the big box stores.

Some of my personal favorites:

Kelloggs & Lawrence (established in 1887) in Katonah, NY. Rife with tools, camping gear, and folksy children’s games; K&L has it all including the peanut barrel!

FH Gillingham & Sons (established in 1886) in Woodstock, VT. Just about dead center in the most picturesque village in the Green Mountains, it’s one of the state’s oldest General Stores “where you can buy everything from caviar to cow manure—accompanied by a farmstead cheese and a bottle of Corton Charlemagne!”

Gray’s General Store (established in 1788 and sadly closed in 2012) in Adamsville, RI. It still pains me that that after 225 years the doors of this Ocean State mainstay were shuttered. It actually had a vintage soda fountain and authentic Johnnycakes!

The General Store in Georgeville, Quebec is the model for Three Pines’ General Store. While I’ve found a photo of the store dating back to 1910, historical information beyond that is scant and, as of this writing, inquires to the general store have gone unanswered although, from what I gather, they’re only open from May to November, so more to come! I have learned they do sell local products like honey and not so local products like fireworks! Looks like I’ll have to take a trip up there soon to see for myself.

Special thanks to Bob Heath (see comments) for filling in some of the General Store’s background!

Anyone here ever been to the General Store in Georgeville?

Tell us all about your favorite General Store!