1946

The Automatist Years: 1946

January

In Franziska Boas' studio in New York, Françoise Sullivan organizes The Borduas Group exhibition which includes paintings by Paul-Émile Borduas, Pierre Gauvreau, Fernand Leduc, Jean-Paul Mousseau and Jean-Paul Riopelle (Écrits I, p. 34); the paintings shown are not identified.

January 6 - 27

The Contemporary Canadian Art travelling exhibition (organized by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), shows in Muskegon (Mich.) at the Hackley 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).

January 10 - March 10

Participates in the Painting in Canada: A Selective Historical Survey exhibition organized by the Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany (New York). (Gagnon, 1988, p.469).

February 1 - 21

The Contemporary Canadian Art travelling exhibition (organized by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is shown in Amherst (Mass.). 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 2 - 14

The Contemporary Arts Society’s Seventh Annual Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings (first held in Toronto, in October 1945 at Eaton’s), shows in Montréal at the Art Association of Montreal (Gagnon, 1978, p. 478, 1988, p. 470). The Borduas paintings are:

  • No 9 G 47 (La Grenouille), 1942
  • No 10 5.45 (Nu vert), 1945
  • No 11 134, (1944)
  • No 12 3.45 (Femme au bijou), 1945
  • No 13 1.45 (Chevauchée blanche aux fruits rouges, 1945
March 3 - 24

The Contemporary Canadian Art travelling exhibition (organized by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), shows in Westfield (Mass.) at the Westfield Athenaeum. 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 28 - April 28

Member of the jury for the second section at the Salon annuel du Musée des beaux-arts (Écrits I, p. 34).

April 7 - 28

The last showing of the Contemporary Canadian Art travelling exhibition (organized by the National Gallery of Canada for The American Federation of the Arts), is in Manchester (N.H.) at the Currier Gallery of Art. 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 20 - 29

Participates in Exposition de peinture, held at Muriel Guilbaults’ at 1257 Amherst Street. Other artists in the show were Marcel Barbeau, Roger Fauteux, Pierre Gauvreau, Mousseau and Riopelle (Écrits I, p. 34; Gagnon, 1978, p. 478; 1988, p. 470). Borduas exhibits:

  • Gouache no 43, 194
  • Gouache no 16, 1942
  • L'île du diable (ou Île enchantée), 1945
  • L'île fortifiée, 1941

April 23 - May 4

Borduas expose quelques peintures, an exhibition held in the galleries of the Henry Morgan store in Montreal (Écrits I, p. 34; Gagnon, 1978, p. 478; 1988, p. 470). Thanks to a list of photos sent to R.H. Hubbard, we can establish fourteen titles out of the twenty -three paintings in the exhibtion:

  • 10.46 ou Climat mexicain, 1946
  • 5.44 ou Odalisque, 1944
  • 2.45 ou Sous la mer, 1945
  • 2.46 ou Jéroboam, 1946
  • 3.46 ou Tente ou La Banquise, 1946
  • 8.46 ou L’Autel aux idolâtres, 1946
  • 3.45 ou Palette d’artiste surréaliste, 1945
  • 5.45 ou Jardin sous bois avec allée rose, 1945
  • 7.46 ou Marchande de fleurs, 1946
  • Le Saladier ou Le Melon d’eau, 1945
  • Quand la plume vole au vent, 1945
  • 3.45 ou La Femme au bijou, 1945
  • 5.45 ou Le Nu vert, 1945
  • 5.46 ou Petite abstraction, 1946
June 3

Invited by Brother Jérome to be guest of honour at a dinner celebrating the arts at Collège Notre-Dame (Écrits I, p.34).

July 15

Intends to leave his position at the École du meuble and live in exile. He asks Paul Beaulieu about the living conditions in France. Father Couturier and Simone Beaulieu suggest he ask for a six months leave (Écrits I, p. 34).

July 18 - 21

Participates in a craft exhibition organized by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste of Saint-Césaire in Saint-Césaire (Que.) (Gagnon, 1978, p. 479).

September

No longer giving his courses on interior design and research documentation at the École du Meuble; he continues to teach drawing (Écrits I, p. 34).

October 22

Thérèse Leduc leaves for Paris (Écrits I, p. 34).

November 16 - 30

The eighth Annual Exhibition of the Contemporary Arts Society is held at the Dominion Gallery in Montreal, with works by Marcel Barbeau, Roger Fauteux, Pierre Gauvreau, Fernand Leduc, Jean-Paul Mousseau and Jean-Paul Riopelle (Écrits I, p. 34;). Borduas shows Composition, (1945?) and Nu (which would be La Fustigiée, 1941-1946, as per Charles Doyon’s description in his article published in Le Clairon (Saint-Hyacinthe), November 29 1946, p. 5), (Gagnon, 1978, p. 479; 1988, p. 470).

November 18 - December 28

Participates in the Exposition internationale d'art moderne at the Musée d'art moderne in Paris where he shows Huile 1946 (Le Saladier ou Melon d’eau), 1946 (Écrits I, p. 34; Gagnon 1978, p. 479