Quebecor today unveiled Refus global : 70 ans, an original exhibition mounted to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the Refus global manifesto. It will run until January 9, 2019 at the Espace musée Québecor gallery in Quebecor’s head office. The exhibit features an impressive collection of works by the signers of the manifesto, including an original signed copy of the document.
 

Quebecor has always had deep respect for the men and women who have forged our history and our culture. It is an honour to welcome Refus global : 70 ans to our gallery and display these powerful, historically significant works. I hope this exhibition will help keep alive the memory of these determined and spirited young Quebec artists who envisioned a freer, more open society and dared to stand up for their convictions.

The signers of the Refus global manifesto included major figures in the history of Québec art such as Paul-Émile Borduas, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Marcel Barbeau, Marcelle Ferron and Madeleine Arbour. The avant-garde works in this exhibition tapped into instinctual processes of artistic creation and rejected conventional notions of culture, knowledge and reason for the first time in Québec.

 We wanted to take a new look at this rich but confused period in Québec art. The revolutionary artists who signed the Refus global manifesto called for an end to the obscurantism, conservatism and conformism of the Québec society of the late 1940s and drew on all forms of artistic expression. The unique collection of paintings, letters, photographs and other archival documents we have assembled will give visitors new insight into the genius of their art,  says Simon Blais of Galerie Simon Blais, the curator of the exhibition.

Refus global : 70 ans will be on display from October 2, 2018 through January 9, 2019 at Espace musée Québecor, 612 Saint-Jacques St., Montréal. Admission is free.