Musée d’art de Joliette

With the inauguration of the new building in 1976, the leaders of the Musée d’art de Joliette realized a long-held dream: to house the Museum in a building designed specifically for museum purposes.

For Father Wilfrid Corbeil, it was a double dream come true. The plans for the new building, drawn by Jacques and Julien Perreault and signed by Jean Dubeau, were based on a model designed by Father Corbeil himself. Drawing inspiration from the works of Le Corbusier, Father Corbeil chose to create an International-style building with clean, minimalist lines to house the Museum’s collection—a design he described as “architectural abstraction.”

In 1985 and 1992, the building underwent major renovations that doubled its storage and exhibition space. However, it was only in 2015 that work permanently transformed the Museum’s image. The building’s new architecture gives it a more open and inviting appearance for the community. Its transparent façades, the extension of the entrance pavilion toward the Outaragawe Sipi (L’Assomption River), and outdoor areas designed for relaxation reflect this new aesthetic. The redesigned spaces also highlight this vision by maximizing natural light, improving accessibility for groups, and fostering creativity in administrative areas.

An interesting fact: during the excavation work preceding the Museum’s construction, a huge buried stone was discovered. Left behind “by the passage of prehistoric glaciers,” this massive stone still remains on the Museum grounds and is the first thing visitors see when they arrive at the MAJ.