MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is one of the most visited museums in Quebec, and also one of the busiest in the country, with over a million visitors. Canada's oldest art museum (1860) boasts a rich collection, estimated at nearly 47,000 works, from Antiquity to the present day. The collection is divided into five pavilions, and includes international art, world cultures, decorative arts and design, as well as Quebec and Canadian art. Among the highlights of the permanent collection is a space on the top floor devoted entirely to Aboriginal art, featuring Inuit works and First Nations artifacts. Numerous works by Quebec landscape artist Marc-Aurèle Fortin are also present, as are those by Riopelle and other representatives of the Automatist movement. In its international collection, the Musée des beaux-arts is the only one in the province to own works by Picasso, Monet, Renoir, Rodin, Véronèse, Goya and Poussin.

The Gallery is also one of Canada's leading publishers of art books in English and French, distributed internationally. The Atelier international d'éducation et d'art-thérapie Michel de la Chenelière, the largest educational complex in an art museum in North America, is housed in the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion for Peace, inaugurated in November 2016. Bourgie Hall hosts classical music concerts (illuminated by Tiffany stained glass), while the museum regularly hosts screenings, lectures and a variety of cultural events.

As for temporary exhibitions, these are distinguished by their willingness to cross artistic disciplines (fine arts, music, cinema, fashion, design) and are exported worldwide. Finally, since May 2017, you can admire the Totem Pole of the Residential Schools, by artist Charles Joseph (Kwakiutl nation). This masterful work, over 21 metres high, pays tribute to the Aboriginal children sent to residential schools in the ^19th and ^20th centuries.

A number of services are offered on site, including the M boutique/bookshop (art and design objects, perfect for original gift ideas), the Beaux-Arts Bistro (snacks, pastries, snacks, coffees and teas - open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and the Cinéma du Musée (full program available at cinemadumusee.com).