1959

Paris: 1959

January

The Second Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting (first held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in April and May 1957 and will circulate until February 1959 to fourteen Canadian cities) is presented at the Centre des Loisirs Saint-Germain in Rimouski, Quebec. Borduas shows La Grimpée, 1956. (Écrits I, p. 44; Gagnon, 1978, p. 498; Gagnon, 1988, p. 471).

January 27 - February 8

Participates in the One Hundred Years of Canadian Painting at the Laing Galleries in Toronto (Écrits I, p. 46); Borduas exhibits Miniatures empressées, 1955, (Gagnon 1978, p. 502).

February

The Second Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting (first held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in April and May 1957 and will circulate until February 1959 in fourteen Canadian cities) is presented at the Centre de recreation in Arvida, Quebec; Borduas shows La Grimpée, 1956. (Écrits I, p. 44; Gagnon, 1978, p. 498; Gagnon, 1988, p. 471).

February

In Situations (vol. 1, no 2, février), Borduas responds to Enquête sur l'Automatisme (Boily, 1972, p. 327).

February 2 - 8

Participates in the Canadian Paintings from Zacks Collection exhibition held at the Victoria College of the University of Toronto; Borduas exhibits Terre vierge, 1955, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 502).

February 7 - March 1

Participates in the Art contemporain au Canada exhibition held at the Rath Museum in Geneva (Gagnon, 1978, p. 502; Écrits I, p. 46); Borduas exhibits :

8. Sous le vent de l'île, 1947
9. Froissements délicats, 1955
10. Explostion atomique, (1958?)

March 5 - 31

Participates, with Marcelle Ferron, in the Spontanéité et réflexion exhibition held at the Arnaud Gallery in Paris (Gagnon, 1978, p. 502; Écrits I, p. 46); Borduas presents three paintings including Composition no 37, 1958.

March 14 - April 12

Participates in the Zeitgenössische Kunst in Kanada exhibition held at the Wallraf-Richortz Museum in Cologne, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 502; Écrits I, p. 46). The paintings shown were:

8. Sous le vent de l'île, 1947
9. Froissements délicats, 1955
10. Explosion atomique (1958?).

March 24 - April 18

The An Intimate Showing of Recent Paintings by Paul Borduas exhibition is held at the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York (Gagnon, 1978, p. 502; Écrits I, p.46); a typed list provides the following titles:

1. Bercements silencieux, 1956
2. Fence and Defence, 1958
3. Repos dominical, 1958
4. La Fourmi magicienne, 1958
5. Dominos, 1958
6. Éventails et roseaux, 1958
7. Silence instantané, 1957

April

Stays in Switzerland (Écrits I, p. 46).

April 7 - March 31

Participates in the International Watercolour Exhibition, 20th Biennial held at the Brooklyn Museum (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503; Écrits I, p. 46) in which he presents:

No 8. Dans le jardin de l'idole, (1959?)
No 9. L'Arlésienne en ballade, 1954
No 10. Force étrange, (1958?)

April 28

In a letter to Bernard Bernard, a childhood friend, Borduas expresses his nostalgia for Canada and mentions his intention of building himself a studio beside the Richelieu River (Boily, 1972, p. 328).

May 20 - June 13

The Exposition Paul-Émile Borduas exhibition is held at the Saint-Germain Gallery in Paris (Écrits I, p. 46); the list of the seventeen paintings shown, which included Abstraction en bleu, 1959, does not exist anymore (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503).

May - June

The Third Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting is presented at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa (Écrits I, p. 46). This exhibition will circulate until May 1960 to the following cities: Kingston, Ont.; London, Ont.; Montreal, Que.; Edmonton, Alta.; Regina, Sask.; Calgary, Alta.; Vancouver B.C.; Victoria B.C.; Quebec City, Que. and Fredericton N.B. Borduas shows Figures schématiques, 1956, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503; 1988, p. 471).

July - August

The Third Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting (first held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in May and June 1959 and will circulate until May 1960 to ten Canadian cities) is presented at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Borduas shows Figures schématiques, 1956, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503; 1988, p. 471).

July 6 - 26

Shows Pierres angulaires, 1958, at the 14e Salon des Réalités Nouvelles held at the Musée des beaux-arts de la ville de Paris (Écrits I, p. 46; Gagnon 1978, p. 503).

July 12 - August 23

The Arts in French Canada / Les Arts au Canada français exhibition is presented at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia during the Vancouver International Festival. This exhibition, organized by the Musée de la Province under the direction of the Secrétariat de la Province de Québec, was shown in Winnipeg, Manitoba in September. Borduas shows Abstraction à l’encre de couleur, 1951 and Joie lacustre, 1948.

Summer

On vacation with the Camus’ in the Gien peninsula, near Toulon (Écrits I, p. 46).

Summer

Participates in the exhibition of the Nebraska Art Association; exhibits Froufrou aigu, 1955, (Écrits I, p. 46; Gagnon 1978, p. 503).

August - September

The Third Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting (first held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in May and June 1959 and will circulate until May 1960 to ten Canadian cities) is presented at the London Public Library and Art Museum in London, Ontario. Borduas shows Figures schématiques, 1956, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503; 1988, p. 471).

August 26 - September 12

Participates in the Private Collectors in Canadian Art exhibition held at the Art Gallery of Toronto in which he shows Terre vierge, 1955 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503).

August - October

Travels to Greece by way of Switzerland and Italy. Arrives in Brindisi on the 21st. On September 12, he is in Sounion. He departs from Greece on September 29 and reaches Brindisi on the 30th. Returns to Paris in mid-October (Écrits I, p. 47).

September 3 - 23

The Arts in French Canada / Les Arts au Canada français travelling exhibition organized by the Musée de la Province under the direction of the Secrétariat de la Province de Québec (first presented in July and August at the Vancouver Art Gallery), is presented in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Borduas exhibits Abstraction à l’encre de couleur, 1951 under number 10 and Joie lacustre, 1948 under number 105. (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503).

September 11 - October 9

Participates in the Automatisme - Paintings by Barbeau, Borduas, Ferron, Gauvreau, Leduc, Mousseau and Riopelle exhibition, also called Art contemporain, which was a retrospective exhibition held at the Galerie de l'Étable of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Écrits I, p. 47). Among other paintings in the show, Borduas exhibited Expansion rayonnante, 1956, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503; 1988, p. 471).

October

One of his paintings receives a special mention at the XI Premio Lissone Internazionale per la pittura in Milan (Écrits I, p. 47; Gagnon, p. 504).

October

The Third Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting (first held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in May and June 1959 and will circulate until May 1960 to ten Canadian cities) is presented at the École des Beaux-Arts in Montreal. Borduas shows Figures schématiques, 1956, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503; 1988, p. 471).

October and November

Participates in the Thirteenth Annual Exhibition and Sale of Contemporary Canadian Paintings, Sculptures and Graphics exhibition organized by the Woman’s Committee of the Art Gallery of Toronto (Écrits I, p. 47). Borduas shows, under number 21, Baraka, 1954, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 504).

November

The Third Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting (first held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in May and June 1959 and will circulate until May 1960 to ten Canadian cities) is presented at the Edmonton Art Gallery. Borduas shows Figures schématiques, 1956, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503; 1988, p. 471).

December

The Third Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting (first held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in May and June 1959 and will circulate until May 1960 to ten Canadian cities) is presented at the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery of Regina College. Borduas shows Figures schématiques, 1956, (Gagnon, 1978, p. 503; 1988, p. 471).

(???)-

Traveling exhibition of the Canadian Group of Painters. Borduas shows Épanouissement, 1956 under number 8 (Gagnon, 1978, p. 504).