1944

The Automatist Years: 1944

1944 - 1945

Participates in the Exposition d'Art canadien au Brésil en 1944-1945 held in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (Brazil). Borduas shows Nonne repentante, 1943 and L'Arbre de vie, 1943 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 477).

March 11 - April 16

Participates in the Canadian Art 1760-1943 exhibition at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven (Conn.). Borduas shows Nature morte from 1941 (Gagnon 1978, p. 476). (Correct Écrits I, p. 31 which proposes 1943 as the exhibition date).

April 21 - May 14

Participates in the The Canadian Group of Painters exhibition at the Art Gallery of Toronto, (Écrits I, p. 32); Borduas shows Les brumes se condensent, from 1944 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476).

April 23 - May 1

Peinture canadienne moderne is presented at the Externat Classique Sainte-Croix. This exhibition and colloquium includes students of Fernand Bonin, Charles Daudelin, Gabriel Filion, Denyse Gadbois, André Jasmin, Fernand Leduc, Lucien Morin, Bernard Morisset, Jean-Paul Mousseau, Jacques de Tonnancour, Guy Viau (Écrits I, p. 32-33).

April 24 - May 10

The traveling exhibition Contemporary Canadian Art, organized by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts, is shown in Culver (Indiana) at the Culver Military Academy. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942. The exhibition travels through the Spring of 1946 to seventeen American cities (Écrits I, p. 32; Gagnon, 1978, p. 476): Culver (Indiana); Memphis (Tennessee); Saint Paul (Minnesota); Omaha (Nebraska); Cedar Rapids (Iowa); San Francisco (California); Wichita (Kansas); Topeka (Kansas); Peoria (Illinois); Reading (Penn.); Rochester (New York); East Lansing (Mich.); Washington (D.C.); Muskegon (Mich.); Amherst (Mass.); Westfield (Mass.); Manchester (N.H.), (Gagnon, 1988, p. 472).

June

The Contemporary Canadian Art travelling exhibition (organized by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in Memphis (Tenn.) at the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery. The exhibition circulates from April 1944 until April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14, 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

June 20

Visit from the members of the Institut de la Nouvelle-France to Borduas’ studio. Interview by Roger Baulu and discussion with Éloi de Grandmont, Maurice Gagnon, Robert Élie and Jacques de Tonnancour broadcast on June 25 during the Actualités canadiennes show on the French network of Radio-Canada (Écrits I, p. 33).

Summer

André Breton visits Quebec, where he writes Arcane 17; meets Pellan but none of the Automatists. (Écrits I, p. 33).

Summer

Fernand Leduc returns to the region around Saint-Hilaire where he had come to paint the previous year with Guy Viau. This time, he is accompanied by the three Renaud sisters: Louise, Jeanne and Thérèse. Jean-Paul Mousseau, Pierre Gauvreau, Françoise Sullivan, Mimi Lalonde, Magdelaine Desroches, and Bruno Cormier often join the group. (Teyssèdre, p. 242).

End of summer

Participates in the Eight Quebec Artists exhibition held at Simpson’s Department Store in Toronto. (Écrits I, p. 33); Borduas shows Les brumes se condensent from 1944, (Gagnon 1978, p. 476).

August 14 - September 4

The travelling exhibition Contemporary Canadian Art (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in Saint Paul (Minn.) at the Minnesota State Fair. The exhibition circulates from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

August 20 - October 20

André Breton stays in Quebec (Percé and Sainte-Agathe) where he writes Arcane 17 (Teyssèdre p. 250 et n. 1).

September 10 - October 2

The travelling exhibition Contemporary Canadian Art (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in Omaha (Neb.) at the Joslyn Memorial. The exhibition circulates from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14, 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

October 8 - 29

The Contemporary Canadian Art travelling exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in Cedar Rapids (Iowa), at the Cedar Rapids Art Association. The exhibition circulates from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14, 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

October 21

Participates in the Art moderne exhibition at the Séminaire Saint-Thomas, in Valleyfield, where an open forum was held (Écrits I, p. 33; Gagnon, 1978, p. 476).

October 23

Refuses to collaborate with Gants du ciel magazine (Écrits I, p. 33).

October 29 - November 7

Participates in the Exposition d'art canadien held at the André-Grasset College in Montreal (Écrits I, p. 33); Borduas shows Abstraction (19??) and Signes cabalistiques, 1943, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476).

November 11 - 22

Participates in the Contemporary Arts Society exhibition held at the Dominion Gallery, in Montreal (Écrits I, p. 33); Borduas shows Oiseau haut perché, 1943, and Les Écureuils, 1943, (Gagnon 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 470).

November 22

Borduas has a row (“une engueulade”) with Lyman about Fernand Leduc; he tells Lyman that "his society brought nothing to young people and that they would part from it" (« sa société n'apportait rien aux jeunes et que ces derniers s'en sépareraient »), (Teyssèdre, p. 246).

November

Fernand Leduc incites the young painters to leave the Société d’art Contemporain in order to establish an autonomous group (Teyssèdre p. 224 et 246).

December

An exhibition-sale of ceramics from the Maîtrise d'Art, decorated with paintings from Borduas, Jori Smith and Charles Daudelin is held in Montreal at Lucien Parizeaus’ Galerie Au diable vert. (Gagnon, 1978, p. 477).

December 1944 - January 6, 1945

The Contemporary Canadian Art travelling exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in San Francisco (Calif.) at the California Palace of the Legion of Honour. The exhibition circulates from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).