About —
With this exhibition, the Musée d’art de Joliette wishes to pay tribute to the recently deceased artist Normand Forget. A committed humanist and ecological activist, Forget made an important mark in the region, both for his artworks and for his involvement in the art sphere. He was an active member of the Lanaudière community, exceptionally appreciated by everyone, and it is to honour the artist and the man that the MAJ has chosen to present, in collaboration with his family, a selection of the artworks that are most emblematic of his career. The many forms of Forget’s approach are evoked through paintings, sculptures, and previously unseen archival documents.
The trace or imprint, a central object in Forget’s practice, is presented through a multitude of materials that convey, in a variety of forms, the memory of nature, the passage of time, and the alchemy of metamorphoses. In his compositions and assemblages – paintings, sculptures, and public art – Forget builds a narrative that becomes a space of reflection about our relationship with the world and with others.
Biography —
A graduate of the Université du Québec à Montréal in visual arts, Normand Forget had a number of solo exhibitions in Québec and France and participated in many group shows. He produced more than thirty public-art projects in the Lanaudière region, the Laurentians, Laval, and Montréal.
The first recipient of the Grand Prix Desjardins de la culture in 1992 and an active member of the collective Les Ateliers d’en Bas (which became Les Ateliers Convertibles), Forget was involved in the development of regional culture, notably by being on the board of directors of the Musée d’art de Joliette. An artist engaged in his community, he was involved in programs to raise awareness of art and the environment.
His works are included in private and public collections, among them the Musée d’art de Joliette and the Société des Musées du Québec.