For this 29th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the Galerie du Festival is proud to welcome one of Quebec’s greatest artists, Armand Vaillancourt. With his stunning creative gifts and inexhaustible energy, he has been sculpting, painting and performing for over 50 years, remaining an innovative and daring artist to the present day.

Armand Vaillancourt has specially created an evocative piece for the Festival entitled La Révolution du coeur, a striking image dedicated to peace and the reconciliation of the world’s peoples, themes especially close to the artist’s heart. Some 175 silkscreens have been made of this original work, which will take its place in the Galerie alongside signed works by such renowned artists as Tony Bennett, Miles Davis, Alfred Pellan, Frédéric Back, Miyuki Tanobe, Zïlon, Robert LaPalme, Marcel Barbeau and Jean-Paul Riopelle.

To mark Yves Archambault’s 20th year of collaboration with the Festival as artist and posterist in residence, the Galerie is offering collectors the special opportunity to purchase two new autographed silkscreens: Swing, taken from the original work that inspired the Festival 2008 poster Magnifiquement psychédélique, and Air, a more refined interpretation. The Galerie will also exhibit original works created especially for the event by the Montreal artist, whose vast talent continues to surprise and enthrall us.

We cordially invite you to visit the temporary Galerie du Festival, set up in a tent on the Place des Arts esplanade, and enjoy its impressive array of works. Over the passage of time, artworks prove themselves to be excellent investments. They are also precious souvenirs of your Festival (a non-profit organization), since all Galerie revenues are poured into financing the free outdoor concert schedule.

Enjoy the Festival!

Alain Simard
President and founder

This year, the Galerie du Festival has the immense privilege of presenting a one of a kind creation by Armand Vaillancourt, a leading figure in contemporary Quebec art.

A colourful, and dramatic personality and living legend who, 50 years into his career, remains an innovator in both technique and aesthetic, Vaillancourt continues to give free rein to his profound energy and inexhaustible creativity. Now considered a pioneer in Quebec’s artistic affirmation, he has been shattering standards of conformity since the early ’50s. Exploring techniques and materials like no other artist, he has opened the way to modernity.

Fiercely engaged in social, cultural and environmental issues, he uses his art as a weapon, a tool for protest and raising consciousness, as well as being a pioneer in taking art to the streets. Steel, cast iron, bronze, wood, concrete, aluminum, found objects, assemblage, paint, or engraving… Armand Vaillancourt has never limited himself to one form or technique. He produces monumental sculptures and impressive pictorial works. Armand Vaillancourt was born in Black Lake, Quebec, on September 3, 1929, and studied at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal (1951-1955). His works can be found throughout Canada and the U.S. and in the finest public, private and museum collections. He has received a number of distinctions, including the prestigious Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas in 1993. In 2004, he was given the title of Chevalier in the Ordre national du Québec.

Graphic artist and illustrator Yves Archambault has been creating posters for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal for 20 years. He is responsible for all images and designs reproduced on the site, on t-shirts and on pins.

In 1992, Archambault also brought “Ste-Cat” to life, creating the Festival’s enduringly popular mascot and goodwill ambassador. In celebration of a long and fruitful collaboration with this talented artist, the Galerie du Festival is offering two new silkscreens: Swing, taken from the image used for the official poster of this 29th edition of the Festival, and Air.

Each year at the Galerie du Festival, Yves Archambault, our artist in residence, exhibits a series of original works created especially for the event, for the benefit of fans and collectors alike. Fans may also purchase silkscreens from the history of the Festival, including Lien vital, Son des silences, Orisha, Malandro and Ubuntu, Duo lunaire, Le griot and Le messager. The Galerie will also exhibit original works created especially for the Festival by the artist, whose vast talent continues to amaze and enthrall us.

Jean-Paul Riopelle is one of a handful of Canadian painters to gain recognition on an international level. A man of oversized appetites, an intrepid traveler and lover of nature, his immense body of work occupies an important place in the history of art in Quebec, Canada and the entire world. His artworks hang in the world’s greatest private and public collections and in its greatest museums, as well.

Hommage à Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)

Tshi is internationally renowned for his portraits of musical performers and features in the cultural press. He has captured numerous prizes, including two National Magazine Awards and one Félix award. In 1999 he had the privilege of meeting and photographing Oscar Peterson at his home in Mississauga. Tshi’s very touching photograph of Oscar Peterson is available at the Galerie du Festival.