Jean-Paul Riopelle is one of Canada’s most important
artists and one of the few whose works are featured in
public and private collections around the world. Initially,
Riopelle used oil paints applied generously with a palette
knife, working equally well in both colour and black and
white to create spectacular compositions. In the 1980s,
he experimented with non-traditional materials such as
aerosol paint and fabric paint, creating works that are
both simple and complex, airy and dense.
In January 2002, CCI began a project to study Riopelle’s
technique as part of its research program on the materials
and techniques of 20th-century Canadian artists.1
Although such a project was long overdue in view of
Riopelle’s national and international stature,
the task seemed virtually insurmountable given the artist’s
prolific production. The interest shown by Yseult Riopelle,
the painter’s daughter and author of the catalogue
raisonné of his work, nevertheless encouraged
us to take on the challenge.
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Unfortunately, a shadow was cast over the beginning
of the project by Riopelle’s death on March 12,
2002. In the many tributes paid to him, it was noted
that Riopelle would survive because of his work, making
it, in turn, essential that his work survive. This,
of course, made our study all the more important, because
it sought to gain a better understanding of Riopelle’s
materials and technique in order to take the necessary
measures to prevent or address conservation problems.
To attempt to identify and understand the physical
characteristics of his works, three avenues would be
explored: searching the archives and related documents
to find information about the materials Riopelle used;
examining the real or imminent problems in conserving
the artist’s paintings; and analysing the materials
used in a representative selection of paintings from
various periods.
The project began with three and a half months in Paris
where I conducted documentary research and examined
a number of works in French collections. Although Riopelle
started out in Canada, it was in France that he became
successful and was active for a large part of his career
as an artist. There are, thus, works in France dating
from periods in his career that are not well represented
in Canadian collections. It was important to examine
these works, as Yseult Riopelle stressed.
My stay in France was made possible as a result of
the Canada-France Agreement on Museums. I was welcomed
by the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées
de France (C2RMF) and received support and assistance
from many staff members, both scientists and curators,
who provided access to their records and facilitated
my work with French institutions. During my stay, I
also had the opportunity to examine three very large
paintings in the collection of the Musée national
d’art moderne as well as Point de rencontre,
a painting on display at the Opéra Bastille.
This painting, a 1989 gift from Canada to France on
the occasion of the bicentenary of the French Revolution,
had been treated by CCI and National Gallery of Canada
staff before being transported to France.
In Canada, the research project was supported right
from the development stage by Ms. Riopelle, who became
a key partner. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the
Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal,
and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
generously opened the doors of their storage and exhibition
areas for us. Kate Helwig, who is also involved in the
project, and I greatly appreciated the assistance provided
by the curators and conservators from these three galleries,
who always show great interest in CCI projects on the
materials and techniques of Canadian artists.
Samples were taken from 38 works, including those in
French collections, executed between 1944 and 1992.
The project is expected to take four years. The analysis
is progressing well and a database has been created
to record the information about the works and the analytical
results.
- To learn more about this program, see the article
by John M. Taylor in CCI Newsletter, No.
10 (September 1992), p. 9.
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