Claude Tousignant

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Claude Tousignant
Born	October 23, 1932 (1932-10-23) (age 75) Montreal, Quebec
Nationality	Canadian
Field	Painting, Sculpture
Training	School of Art and Design at the MBAM
Movement	Plasticiens, Tachism
Works	"Chromatic accelerator" series
Awards	Officer of the Order of Canada)

Claude Tousignant is a Canadian artist born in Montreal, Quebec on October 23rd 1932.

Contents 1 Formal training 2 Biography 3 Awards 4 Work 5 Museum collections 6 References

[edit] Formal training

• 1952-1953 Académie Ranson, Paris
• 1948-1952 School of Art and Design at the MBAM (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal)

[edit] Biography

Claude Tousignant is a Canadian abstract painter and sculptor born in Montreal, Quebec. He is a world-renowned leading figure in modern art, especially through his paintings, always striving to get to the essence of art. He started his stylistic explorations in France during the early 50's, but returned home wanting more. Tousignant was then influenced by the Pop Art school, and rapidly adhered to a modern art movement in Montreal called "les Plasticiens". This group of four painters (Jean-Paul Jérôme, Louis Belzile, Rodolphe de Repentigny and Fernand Toupin) wanted abstract painting to go mainstream, and Claude Tousignant dove right in.

Geometric shapes and solid colors make up most of Tousignant's work (see samples in the gallery below), but he always refused to incorporate human or identifiable shapes in his drawings. He pushed the boundaries to simplify the expression itself in the act of painting, incorporating huge circles, square angles, vivid colors in his pieces. During the 1960's, his most popular series came alive with dozens of variations on colorful themes: "Chromatic transformers", "Chromatic accelerators" and "Gongs". But it is during the following decade that he audaciously came full circle on his vision, presenting monotone pieces, the simplest of art forms.

An excellent retrospective of his work is available online at the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal.

[edit] Awards

• Paul-Émile Borduas Prize (1989)
• Officer of the Order of Canada (1976)
• Prize from the Canadian Institute of Rome (1973)
• First prize (painting), Perspective' 67, Toronto (1967)
• First prize (painting), Salon de la Jeune Peinture, Paris (1962)

[edit] Work

Gallery

Verticales

Rythme stochastique

Octique

[edit] Museum collections

• The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut (USA)
• Artothèque de Montréal
• Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
• Canada Arts Council, Ottawa
• Musée d'art Contemporain de Montréal
• Musée du Québec, Quebec City
• Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
• National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
• Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona (USA)
• Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia
• York University, Toronto

[edit] References

• Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
• Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal
• L'Artothèque
• Galerie l'Art Mûr