Discover our two free-access urban paths that feature local artists. You’ll stroll through both outdoor and indoor spaces and have a chance to enjoy major pieces from the collection – one installation and nine sculptures – integrated into the urban landscape or situated close to the MAC.
The MAC’s Urban Paths
Anchored in the City path
As you explore Montréal, take a break outside Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, near Rosemont and de l’Assomption boulevards, to appreciate the steel sculptures by Ivanhoë Fortier and Gord Smith.
Continue your stroll toward two emblematic artworks, Geneviève Cadieux’s La Voie lactée and Jean Paul Riopelle’s La Joute, both of which are thrilling, day or night.
Get on your bike for a rendez-vous with these works that are in dialogue with the urban landscape.
A. Ivanhoë Fortier, Sans titre, 1965
Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont
In 1965, the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec launched the Quebec Symposium, a major exhibition of contemporary sculpture that was held in the garden and studios of the brand new Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Learn more
B. Gord Smith, Study “Canada Screen” Expo 67, 1965
Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont
Gord Smith’s Study “Canada Screen” Expo 67 was created as part of the Quebec Symposium of 1965, organized by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec to enhance the new Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal’s art collection. The sculpture features elements that symbolically burst forth, conveying Smith’s obsession with capturing the movement, fleetingness and intensity of life. Learn more
C. Geneviève Cadieux, La Voie lactée, 1992
Roof of the MAC, Sainte-Catherine Street
Installed like a beacon on the roof of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, La Voie lactée has overlooked the city since the museum’s inauguration on rue Sainte-Catherine in 1992. Now considered a symbol of Montréal, this luminous image of a woman’s red lips rising against the sky both seduces and provokes. Learn more
D. Jean-Paul Riopelle, La Joute, 1969-1970, cast c. 1974
Place Jean-Paul Riopelle
Jean-Paul Riopelle’s only fountain sculpture, La Joute, constitutes a monumental ensemble of elements erected within Montréal’s Quartier international. Initially installed at the site of the Olympic Park during the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montréal, it was reinstalled at Place Jean-Paul Riopelle, in 2004. Learn more
Return to Sources path
Place Ville Marie was the very first display venue for the MAC: its first exhibition, a retrospective of work by the French artist Georges Rouault, was presented there in March 1965. Today, the PVM esplanade offers an invitation to discover majestic sculptures by Ivanhoë Fortier, Yves Trudeau, and Armand Vaillancourt. Continue your visit inside Place Ville-Marie, where other fascinating works, including one by the artist Charles Daudelin, await you.
Then join us at the Gallery level to enjoy our program of art, educational activities, and events!
This loan from the collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal is part of the project to revitalize Place Ville Marie, an Ivanhoé Cambridge property.
A. Armand Vaillancourt, Justice aux Indiens d’Amérique, 1957
1 Place Ville Marie, Ground floor
In Justice aux Indiens d’Amérique, a work carved from a single piece of pine, the sculpture’s scale and extreme simplicity are indicative of how Armand Vaillancourt combined political commentary, social engagement, and the valorization of materials. Learn more
B. Yves Trudeau, Cosmonaute no 2, 1965
1 Place Ville Marie, Ground floor
Cosmonaute no 2 combines iron and wood in a single piece. It reconciles visual issues and humanistic concerns at a time when humans were attempting to conquer space. Learn more
C. Yves Trudeau, La Cité, 1962
Place Ville-Marie, Esplanade
Trained in various artistic disciplines during his youth, Trudeau first specialized in ceramics, then developed a career as a sculptor at the end of the 1950s. Bronze was his first material of choice before he began exploring the many possibilities of welded iron. La Cité is among the first iron pieces he created. This material allowed him to create pared-down forms and volumes that could be reduced to a few lines of action. Learn more
D. Ivanhoë Fortier, Tour sublunaire, 1965
Place Ville-Marie, Esplanade
Throughout the entire 1960s and 1970s, Ivanhoë Fortier explored many materials, creating works that respect the inherent qualities of each one. Tour sublunaire is composed of cut metal, a technique that lends itself well to the deployment of forms in space. Learn more
E. Charles Daudelin, Composition no 1, 1966
5 Place Ville Marie, Ground floor
F. Armand Vaillancourt, Hommage au Tiers-Monde, 1966
Place Ville-Marie, Esplanade
G. Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal
Place Ville Marie, Gallery Level