As part of the official programming of Montreal’s 375th anniversary, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) and BMO Financial Group are proud to present REVOLUTION. Initiated by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, the MMFA offers its own version and layout of this immersive exhibition, which takes visitors on a trip through time, exploring the ideals of the late 1960s as expressed in music, film, fashion and design, as well as through activism.
The title of this musical exhibition refers to the words of the Beatles’ song Revolution, composed by John Lennon in 1968 in response to several violent political protests that took place that year, including the May 68 protests in Paris. The exhibition explores the context for the transformations in Western society, driven by young people with a deep desire for change and freedom. From Flower Power to the Black Panthers, miniskirts to the first man on the moon, From Expo 67 to Woodstock, it recreates the cultural, social, artistic and technological “explosion” that occurred between 1966 and 1970, the repercussions of which are still being felt today.
This extensive exhibition brings together over 700 works and documents – clothing, designs, posters, album covers, publications, works of art, photos, archival documents, film clips and music – revealing the lifestyle, dreams and protest movements of an optimistic, militant and pacifist generation that sought to break away from the values of the past.
The show includes a number of works from the MMFA’s collection by artists like Gilles Boisvert, Pierre Ayot, Antoine Desilets, Clara Gutsche and Jacques Hurtubise as well as audiovisual material from 1960s Quebec that illustrate famous events of that watershed era, such as the Bed-in by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Montreal, L’Osstidcho, the Quiet Revolution and the October Crisis.
Nathalie Bondil, Director General and Chief Curator of the MMFA, explains, “The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Expo 67 in music. Following our exhibitions Warhol Live, Imagine. The Peace Ballad of John and Yoko and We Want Miles. Miles Davis vs. Jazz,this is our latest incursion into music, this time into the world of the musical legends of the late 1960s. This summer will be characterized by the evocation of Flower Power and rebellion in song through this striking immersive presentation. Since Montreal was at the epicentre of these revolutions, we decided to highlight its place at the forefront of international modernism.
In 2017, half a century later, Montreal still constitutes an oasis of modernism in North America with its values of tolerance and hospitality, its vast student population and numerous consulates, its social commitment and democratic diversity, representing a unique and essential point of view.
As we celebrate the anniversary, it is the values of Expo 67 that we focus on rather than nostalgic reminiscence: ‘’To give our visitors an explanation of the world we live in so that they realize that we all stand together, that what divides people is much less important than what unites them.’’
Diane Charbonneau, curator of the exhibition in Montreal and curator of modern and contemporary decorative arts and photography at the MMFA, adds: “Revolution transports us to the 1960s without resorting to a time machine, through the fashions, music, design, technologies and demands of the era. It’s a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds – and for me, as a baby boomer– a look back at an exciting time that was both joyful and rebellious, as the whole world was being reinvented.”
"With momentous political upheaval across the West, it is a perfect time to consider how the finished and unfinished revolutions of the sixties have changed how we live today and affected the way we think about tomorrow. We are hugely excited that Revolution will be showing at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, a city that saw its own revolution in this period when an idealistic youth culture motivated people to come together to challenge the established power structures across every area of society, and create the world they wanted to live in," say Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, curators of the exhibition.
An original and immersive sound experience
Revolution offers hi-fi headphones for visitors following a circuit that synchronizes sound and image depending on where the visitor is located in the galleries. This musical odyssey is accompanied by popular hits by contemporary artists: the Beach Boys, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and the Who as well as artists from Quebec such as Robert Charlebois, Leonard Cohen, Louise Forestier and Michel Pagliaro. A series of immersive environments invite visitors to travel in time, to the streets of London, where fashion never stops reinventing itself; to the heart of the May 1968 demonstrations in Paris; to the Summer of Love in San Francisco; to the festival atmosphere of Woodstock; and, of course, to Expo 67 in Montreal.
Youth Fusion at MMFA
Young future curators experience revolution at the Museum
In partnership with Youth Fusion, an organization that encourages students to stay in school with innovative educational projects, the MMFA invited students from the English Montreal School Board’s James Lyng High School to learn about the production of an exhibition. The students selected twenty works from the Museum’s collection, dating from the 1960s to the present day, which spoke to their concerns about human rights, identity and the environment. In writing the texts that accompany the works and taking part in designing the exhibition layout, the students share both the large and small revolutions that they are experiencing.
Publication
The exhibition is accompanied by a 320-page lavishly illustrated coffee-table book published under the general editorship of Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, in English by V&A Publishing, London, and in French by the MMFA’s Publishing Department in collaboration with 5 Continents Éditions, Milan. The catalogue is available at the Museum’s Boutique and Bookstore ($64.95).
Credits
This exhibition is organized by the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), London, in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Curatorial staff
The curators of the exhibition are Geoffrey Marsh, Director of the Department of Theatre and Performance, V&A, Victoria Broackes, Senior Curator in the Department of Theatre and Performance and Head of the London Design, and, for the Montreal presentation, Diane Charbonneau, the MMFA’s Curator of Modern and Contemporary Decorative Art and Photography.
The layout for the MMFA’s presentation of the exhibition was designed by Sandra Gagné, Head of Exhibition Production, under the direction of Nathalie Bondil, in collaboration with Paprika, for whom this is their first collaboration on the design of an exhibition, and Silent Partners Studio for the video adaption.
Sound and Music Environment
The immersive sound experience is by Sennheiser. The music selection proposed by the V&A has been enhanced with a Quebec section that was researched by Marie-Claude Senécal of Radio-Canada, ICI Musique.
Related Events
The exhibition is accompanied by a programme of lectures, films and a concert.
Consult the appendix for details.
Acknowledgements
The exhibition was made possible thanks to the generous support of BMO Financial Group, presenting sponsor of REVOLUTION as part of the Year for Peace at the Museum, in collaboration with Metro.
The Museum would also like to thank Simons and Roland Berger for their invaluable support, and Air Canada, the Museum’s Angel Circle, Bell, La Presse and the Montreal Gazette for their vital contributions.
The Museum extends its thanks to Quebec’s Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and the Conseil des arts de Montréal for their ongoing support. The exhibition also benefits from the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. The Museum’s International Exhibition Programme receives financial support from the Exhibition Fund of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Foundation and the Paul G. Desmarais Fund.
The Museum would also like to thank its Volunteer Guides for their essential contribution, as well as all its VIP members and the many individuals, corporations and foundations – in particular the Fondation de la Chenelière, directed by Michel de la Chenelière, and the Arte Musica Foundation, presided over by Pierre Bourgie – for their generosity.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to all those who, through their generous assistance, encouragement and support, made this exhibition and scholarly publication possible
Passport 375 MTL
A free, connected passport will be available for 14 events in the official programme of Montreal’s 375th anniversary commemorating the 50th anniversary of Expo 67, including the exhibition Revolution. Inspired by the original version, the new passport connected via an RFID chip will allow holders to enjoy a variety of exclusive offers. The printed passport is available in a limited edition at the Museum ticket counter and at participating companies. The online version for smartphones is also included in the official application for the 375th (mtl.com/app).
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The press kit and a selection of press images are available to download from mbam.qc.ca/en/press-room
About the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The MMFA welcomes a million visitors annually. Quebec’s most visited museum, it is one of the most popular museums in Canada, and ranks eighteenth among art museums in North America. The Museum’s original temporary exhibitions combine various artistic disciplines – fine arts, music, film, fashion and design – and ar e exported around the world. Its rich encyclopedic collection, distributed among five pavilions, includes international art, world cultures, decorative arts and design, and Quebec and Canadian art. The MMFA complex includes Bourgie Hall, a 460-seat concert hall. The MMFA is one of Canada’s leading publishers of art books in French and English, which are distributed internationally. The Museum also houses the Michel de la Chenelière International Atelier for Education and Art Therapy, the largest educational complex in a North American art museum, enabling the MMFA to offer innovative educational, wellness and art therapy programmes. mbam.qc.ca
About the Society for the Celebration of Montréal’s 375th Anniversary
The Society for the Celebration of Montréal’s 375th Anniversary is a non-profit organization whose mission is to organize the celebrations and socioeconomic contributions that will mark Montréal’s 375th anniversary in 2017. With a focus on promoting Montréal expertise, it acts as a catalyst for local forces in carrying out its mandate to mobilize the community, implement a funding strategy, rigorously manage public funds, develop quality programming and ensure the visibility of the celebrations.
The Society benefits from the support of the Ville de Montréal, the Québec government, the Canada government and private funding from 12 Great Montrealers. For more information, see http://www.375mtl.com
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To learn more about the Quebec government’s contribution to Montréal’s 375th Anniversary celebrations, click here.