Updated yesterday at 8:00 am.
1. The art that saves
Francis Montillaud, a native of Lévis, had a bad start in his youth. “I was a little lost, a little aggressive, rebellious and negative,” he says. I didn’t feel good until I discovered fine art in my twenties. »
Enrolling in fine arts courses, he realized he had found his calling when he entered the workshops of the University of Laval. At the same time, between the ages of 20 and 24, he worked as a scaffolder on stages in Europe. An experience that opened his eyes, developed his sense of installation and staging as well as his preference for photography and video.
PHOTO FRANCIS MONTILLAUD, PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST
Branle-bas monumental, installed in Gatineau in 2020 and inspired by his European experience
He began his career with a video installation, Helio Plage, presented at the Manif d’art de Québec in 2005. He then produced the video design for director Kevin McCoy’s play Ailleurs, which had great success in Quebec. “Since Kevin was Robert Lepage’s friend, I was able to work with Robert’s tour equipment in a studio at Dalhousie Barracks. We were able to set up the show like a large video installation. »
Francis Montillaud was fascinated by the expression of the human face and subsequently created a number of sculptures, particularly for public art. Getting Green was installed in the forecourt of the Place des Arts in 2007 and opens the doors to competitions by public organizations to integrate works into public space.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST
Going Green (2007)
2. The workshop
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Francis Montillaud in his workshop
Francis Montillaud has been working in a two-story workshop in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve for 11 years. Among all the projects he realized for Dollard-des-Ormeaux, L’Île-des-Sœurs, Art Underground, the Laroche/Joncas gallery, the Janine-Sutto cultural center and the Circa gallery, he created numerous sculptures there.
PHOTO FRANCIS MONTILLAUD, PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST
Projection through sacrifice, a “punching ball” sculpture that visitors to Underground Art 2011 hit without hesitation!
He took part in the Passages insolites festival in Quebec, exhibited at the Yves Louis-Seize gallery in Lanaudière, created sculptures for several schools in Quebec, for a street in Ottawa and a park in Manitoba. Works that are often reminiscent of classical sculpture, to which he gives a touch of strangeness.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Some models by Francis Montillaud
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Other models. The second on the left will soon become a 10-foot tall circus performance sculpture destined for the Le Baluchon alternative school in Laval.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Some castings
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3. Cake IX
During the pandemic, Francis Montillaud won the competition organized by the Société de transport de Montréal to place works of art at the two entrances of the Pie-IX subway station as part of the installation of elevators. The topic was the Olympic Games in Montreal. The artist designed two installations. The first represents gold, silver and bronze medals and is placed above escalators. The other consists of three crowns that are attached to the ceiling. They are reminiscent of the olive wreaths of the ancient games and the architecture of the Olympic Stadium designed by Roger Taillibert.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Model of the medals being displayed at the subway station
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
On the left the skeleton of one of the three crowns and on the right an almost finished crown hanging over a wooden medal
MODEL PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST
The virtual installation of a crown in the Pie-IX subway station
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The steel crowns were made in the workshop. The medals, which depict overlays of pictograms of Olympic disciplines, were carved from MDF wood before being melted into aluminum at the Fondremy foundry in Chambly. We visited this factory to see how the medals were made by casting sand mixed with a resin and then pouring molten aluminum. The director of Fondremy, Hicham El Idrissi, explained to us the technique used.
Once cast, the medals are cooled, sanded and kiln painted to give a shiny gold, silver and bronze finish. These works, which represent the greatest technical challenge of Francis Montillaud’s career, will be inaugurated next year.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Aluminum castings were used to make the three medals.
4. Mandeville
Francis Montillaud, a student of the artist and teacher Stephen Schofield, never lacked for work. He even had to hire an assistant. But he wants to go even further in creation and sales. He plans to exhibit his works and those of other sculptors on the 51-hectare property he purchased five years ago in Mandeville, Lanaudière.
“I will develop the land. I bought some change to develop this area, which includes a pine forest, a lake, a stream, another forest and many different ecosystems. My goal is to create a sculpture trail. It is a project somewhat similar to René Derouin’s Precambrian Gardens in Val-David. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST
View of his land in Mandeville
At the same time, he will continue to create art in public spaces, even if it is a stressful path due to strong competition, and exhibit in artist centers. “There is a huge workshop on my land. I will be able to create larger works there than in Hochelaga. »
When Francis Montillaud looks back, he sees how art inspired him to take great strides and channeled his energy during this often destructive time. “I work all the time. It’s become a real passion,” he says.
5. In photos
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FRANCIS MONTILLAUD
On site, Galerie Circa, 2011
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FRANCIS MONTILLAUD
Curiosity sculptures installed in St. Boniface, Manitoba in 2012
PHOTO OF GUY THE HAPPY, PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST
Carrefour, 2013, installation in L’Île-des-Sœurs as part of an intergenerational center project
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST
Sculpture from the Quiproquo Monumental corpus, 2016-2017, Ottawa-Gatineau
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FRANCIS MONTILLAUD
Dancing with the Stars, Mackay-PE Layton Center, Montreal, 2018
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FRANCIS MONTILLAUD
Layers of Belonging, 2020, Ottawa
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FRANCIS MONTILLAUD
Another sculpture from the Strates d’affiliation corpus
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST
Figure II, 2020, Galerie Yves Louis-Seize, Saint-Gabriel
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