The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
(Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal)

The museum was founded in 1860 by Bishop Fulford in an attempt to encourage the appreciation of fine arts in the people of Montreal. The museum started life as many artists do, as a nomadic display in a variety of venues around Montreal. Is was only in 1877 that a permanent home for the museum was donated by Benaiah Gibb along with his collection of 72 canvases and 4 bronzes. Since then the collection has grown exponentially. There are now over 38 000 different works of art displayed in the museum's collections.

The works of art are displayed in four pavilions and grouped into categories. This makes it much easier for you to see those pieces of art that relate to a period of interest. The Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion is dedicated to archaeology and world cultures, the Liliane and David M. Stewart pavilion displays art works related to decorative arts and design. The Jean-Noel Desmarais pavilion houses the early to modern international art collection as well as the international contemporary art collection. The Claire and Marie Bourgie pavilion contains Quebec and Canadian art for something a little closer to home. You can see images of some of the art contained here on the museum's website. They are truly something to behold!

The museum also displays themed exhibitions on a regular basis. This offers you the chance to see some truly famous works that would otherwise be kept in the storage facilities of the museum. These exhibits feature artists such as Jules de Balincourt and Laurent Craste.

If fine art is something that inspires you or if you simply want to be fascinated and beguiled with what goes on in the minds of our finest artists, then the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is the ideal museum to visit.

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