Exhibitions, Manifestos, and the Seventieth Anniversary of Refus global

Abstract

August 8, 2018, was the 70th anniversary of the publication of Refus global, the manifesto of a multi-disciplinary group of Montreal artists called the Automatists, widely recognized as important avant-garde figures in the history of Canadian modernism. The story of the manifesto and its reception is quite well known : immediate official and public reaction was strongly negative because the manifesto was seen as dangerously anti-clerical.1 Gradually, however, Refus global and the activities of the group came to be recognized as constituting a crucial moment in the cultural history of the province. In 1959 and 1960, the periodical Situations began the process of redemption by publishing a special number entitled “Refus global : dix ans après,” followed by a posthumous celebration of the mentor of the group, visual artist Paul-Émile Borduas. Ten years later, in August, 1969, La barre du jour published an important special number entitled Les automatistes, with texts by and on the movement, the manifesto itself, and some of the signatories. No doubt stimulated by these anniversary celebrations, an exhibition entitled “Borduas et les automatistes, Montréal 1942–1955,” opened in October, 1971, at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris and moved to the Musée d’art contemporain in Montreal in January of 1972. Following these first signs of broad, even international recognition, every ten years for almost half a century we have come to expect various kinds of celebrations — exhibitions, publications, films, performances — commemorating Refus global and its adherents to the extent that some commentators have complained of “occultation.”2 Over the years, celebrations of the group and its manifesto have been at times personal and intimate, at times more academic, and at times highly public, government-sponsored and elaborate.3 The year 2018 was no exception, especially in Quebec, where the anniversary still has considerable meaning. Besides the several exhibitions I am about to describe, there was a series of lectures by Gilles Lapointe, professor at l’Université du Québec à Montréal, a prolific writer and editor of texts relating to Automatism. These were truly downtown events, with sell-out crowds despite a significant admission fee. The titles : « Borduas à visage découvert, » « Les echos de Refus global d’hier à aujourd’hui, » and « Les femmes et Refus global, » were obviously in keeping with anniversary celebrations.4 Lapointe also took part in a day-long colloquium and celebration of the man who has been, no doubt, the single most influential figure among researchers and writers on Automatism : François-Marc Gagnon.5 The gathering heard presentations on Gagnon and his work from speakers such as Dominic Hardy, Laurier Lacroix, and Louise Vigneault. I did not attend those events, but what follows is a brief account of some others I was able to witness during 2018, mostly in Montreal and Quebec, but also in Toronto. The observations are not objective (since I was an occasional participant) or complete (since my visits were limited in time while relevant events often took place over many days), but they can give some idea of the continuing impact of the Automatist manifesto on the way its signatories are presented as artists, especially in Quebec. Generally speaking, an invocation of the Automatist past could be a benefit to Reviews | Recensions