1945

The Automatist Years: 1945

Beginning of the year

Modern art exhibition and forum at the Séminaire de Sainte-Thérèse (Que.), (Gagnon, 1978, p. 477). Elected for the second time as vice-president of the Contemporary Arts Society (Écrits I, p. 33).

January

Le Développement de la peinture au Canada. 1665-1945, a travelling exhibition, opens at the Art Gallery of Toronto; it then travels to Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City through April 1945. Borduas shows Oiseau déchiffrant un hiéroglyphe, 1943 (Gagnon, 1978 p. 477; 1988, p. 473).

January 14 - 29

The Contemporary Canadian Art exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in Wichita (Kansas) at the Municipal Art Museum. The exhibition travels from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

February

Le Développement de la peinture au Canada. 1665-1945 (first held at the Art Gallery of Toronto in January 1945), exhibits in Montreal at the Art Association of Montreal. Borduas shows Oiseau déchiffrant un hiéroglyphe, 1943, (Gagnon, 1978 p. 477; 1988, p. 473).

February 4 - 25

The Contemporary Canadian Art exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in Topeka (Kansas) at the Mulvane Art Museum of Washburn University. The exhibition travels from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

March

Le Développement de la peinture au Canada. 1665-1945 (first held at the Art Gallery of Toronto in January 1945), shows in Ottawa at the National Gallery of Canada. Borduas shows Oiseau déchiffrant un hiéroglyphe, 1943, (Gagnon, 1978 p. 477; 1988, p. 473).

March 7 - 28

The Contemporary Canadian Art exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), shows in Peoria (Ill.) at the Peoria Public Library. The exhibition travels from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

April

Le Développement de la peinture au Canada. 1665-1945 (first held at the Art Gallery of Toronto in January 1945), shows in Quebec at the Musée de la Province. Borduas shows Oiseau déchiffrant un hiéroglyphe, 1943 (Gagnon, 1978 p. 477; 1988, p. 473).

April 8 - 29

The Contemporary Canadian Art exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), shows in Reading (Penn.) at the Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition travels from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

April 1

Fernand Leduc meets with Breton in New York (Teyssèdre, p. 224).

May 2

The Borduas family settles in Saint-Hilaire (Écrits I, p. 33).

May 10 - 31

The Contemporary Canadian Art exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), shows in Rochester (N.Y.) at the Rochester Public Library. The exhibition travels from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

June 12

The “À bas Maillard” (“Down With Maillard”) protest at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal (Écrits I, p. 33).

September 30 - October 21

The Contemporary Canadian Art exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), shows in East Lansing (Mich.) at the Michigan State College. The exhibition travels from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).

October

Participates in the seventh exhibition of the Contemporary Arts Society held at Eaton’s Department Store in Toronto. Borduas shows Composition (1945?) and La Femme au bijou, 1945. The exhibition was held in Montreal in February 1946 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 477).

October

Charles Maillard resigns as director of the École des beaux-arts (Écrits I, p. 33).

November 2 - December 10

The Contemporary Canadian Art exhibition (organised by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in Washington (D.C.) at Howard University. The exhibition travels from April 1944 to April 1946 to 17 American cities. Borduas shows Abstraction 14 from 1942 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 476; 1988, p. 472).