Albert Rousseau
BIOGRAPHY
Albert Rousseau (1908 – 1982)
Albert Rousseau was a painter, printmaker, illustrator and educator.
He was born in Sainte-Étienne-de-Lauzon, Quebec (a suburb of Quebec City, across the St. Lawrence River), and died there. (1)
His mediums included oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache*, pastel, India ink*, silkscreen*, etching* and mixed mediums. His subjects were landscapes, houses in landscapes, village scenes, city streets, still life, harbors and portraits. His styles were Fauvism* and Regionalism*. AskART have some good illustrations of his work. (2)
His formal art education includes the École des Beaux Arts*, Quebec City (1924 – 1931), where he studied under Lucien Martial, Henry Ivan Neilson and Jean Bailleul [see all in AskART]. (3)
Rousseau’s education also includes extensive travels in Canada and the United States, as well as in Mexico, the West Indies, France, Spain, Portugal and England. (4)
Most sources indicate he taught at various art schools in the mid 1960s, however his primary contribution to art education would most likely be the school he founded in 1971 and operated until his death. (5)
Le Moulin des Arts was an abandoned 150-year-old flour mill on the Beaurivage River in St. Etienne. It was converted by Rousseau into a studio, exhibition space and art school for painting, ceramics, pottery and sculpture.
None of our sources list him as a member of any professional artist associations, however his close associates and painting companions included four famous Canadian artists… Marc-Aurèle Fortin, René Richard, Léo Ayotte and Francesco Lacurto [see all in AskART]. (6)
Rousseau’s work was exhibited in group shows with the Art Association of Montreal [now the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts] from 1930 to 1967; the Quebec Museum of Fine Arts, Quebec City in 1950 and 1951; and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario in 1960. (7)
The public venues for his solo shows include Le Palais Montcalm de Québec, Quebec City (1947, 1960, 1970 and 1971); Chez Tranquille, Montreal (1950); Place des Arts, Montreal (1969); Musée Laurier, Arthabaska, Quebec (1982); and the Centre d’Art, Lévis, Quebec (1983).
His works are very actively traded on the Canadian auction market, they are in numerous private collections, and they are in several important public collections.
According to the Canadian Heritage Information Network*, there are Albert Rousseau works in the permanent collections of the Canadian Museum of Civilization (Gatineau, Quebec), La Pulperie (Chicoutimi, Quebec), Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (Quebec), Musée Laurier (Arthabaska, Quebec), Musée Pierre-Boucher (Trois-Rivières, Quebec), Quebec Museum of Fine Arts (Quebec City), Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts (Quebec), and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa).
Examples of Rousseau’s work as an illustrator can be seen in the Guy Robert books Charlevoix: Suite Québécoise (1980) and Vieux Québec (1982). (8)
His awards include the Jessie Dow Prize from the Art Association of Montreal in 1948. (9)
BIOGRAPHIE
Albert Rousseau (1908 – 1982)
Albert Rousseau était peintre, graveur, illustrateur et éducateur.
Il est né à Sainte-Étienne-de-Lauzon, Québec (une banlieue de Québec, de l’autre côté du fleuve Saint-Laurent), et y est décédé. (1)
Ses médiums comprenaient l’huile, l’acrylique, l’aquarelle, la gouache*, le pastel, l’encre de Chine*, la sérigraphie*, l’eau-forte* et les médiums mixtes. Ses sujets étaient des paysages, des maisons dans des paysages, des scènes de village, des rues de ville, des natures mortes, des ports et des portraits. Ses styles étaient le fauvisme* et le régionalisme*. AskART a quelques bonnes illustrations de son travail. (2)
Son éducation artistique formelle comprend l’École des Beaux-Arts* de Québec (1924 – 1931), où il a étudié avec Lucien Martial, Henry Ivan Neilson et Jean Bailleul [voir tout dans AskART]. (3)
L’éducation de Rousseau comprend également de nombreux voyages au Canada et aux États-Unis, ainsi qu’au Mexique, aux Antilles, en France, en Espagne, au Portugal et en Angleterre. (4)
La plupart des sources indiquent qu’il a enseigné dans diverses écoles d’art au milieu des années 1960, mais sa principale contribution à l’éducation artistique serait probablement l’école qu’il a fondée en 1971 et exploitée jusqu’à sa mort. (5)
Le Moulin des Arts était un moulin à farine abandonné vieux de 150 ans sur la rivière Beaurivage à Saint-Etienne. Il a été transformé par Rousseau en atelier, espace d’exposition et école d’art pour la peinture, la céramique, la poterie et la sculpture.Aucune de nos sources ne le mentionne comme membre d’associations d’artistes professionnels, mais ses proches collaborateurs et compagnons de peinture comprenaient quatre artistes canadiens célèbres… Marc-Aurèle Fortin, René Richard, Léo Ayotte et Francesco Lacurto [voir tous dans AskART]. (6)
Le travail de Rousseau a été exposé dans des expositions collectives avec l’Art Association of Montréal [maintenant le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal] de 1930 à 1967; le Musée des
beaux-arts du Québec, Québec en 1950 et 1951; et le Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, Ottawa, Ontario en 1960. (7)
Les lieux publics de ses expositions solo comprennent Le Palais Montcalm de Québec, Québec (1947, 1960, 1970 et 1971); Chez Tranquille, Montréal (1950); Place des Arts, Montréal (1969); Musée Laurier, Arthabaska, Québec (1982); et le Centre d’Art, Lévis, Québec (1983).
