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Charles Daudelin, OQ, sculptor, multidisciplinary artist (born 1 October 1920 in Granby, QC; died 2 April 2001 in Pointe-Claire, QC). Daudelin is one of the most prolific sculptors in Quebec. He founded the “integrated arts” section of the École des beaux-arts de Montréal and contributed to the integration of arts into Montreal’s urban architecture. Daudelin became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts (RCA) in 1972. He was named Grand Officier of the National Order of Québec in 1998, Grand Montréalais of the Ordre de Montreal in 1998. Later, in 2016, he was promoted to Commandeur of the Ordre de Montréal.
Education and Early Years (1939–48)
In 1939, Charles Daudelin left Granby to move to Montreal, as suggested by his mentor, artist Paul-Émile Borduas. He worked in the studio of Quebec goldsmith Gilles Beaugrand while attending the École du meuble in Montreal (1939–41). He studies woodcarving, drawing, decoration, ceramics and casting, as well as making terracotta using the school’s facilities.
In May 1943, Daudelin presented paintings and terracotta sculptures at an exhibition organized by Sagittaires group at the Dominion Gallery in Montreal. Daudelin exhibited there again in November of that year as a member of the Contemporary Arts Society (SAC) which brought together almost all the innovative artists of the time, including Borduas, John Lyman, Marcel Barbeau, Pierre Gauvreau and Jean Paul Riopelle. In September 1943 he also exhibited in Granby, presenting a series of paintings and terracottas.
In 1944, Daudelin spent two months in New York City, where he visited the atelier of French painter and sculptor Fernand Léger. Back in Montreal, he concentrated more on painting, watercolor, gouache and drawing, temporarily sidelining sculpture. He exhibited frequently in Montreal over the next two years. His work could be found at the Dominion Gallery, in the hall of honour at the Université de Montréal, at the Art Association of Montreal (precursor of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts), at the Collège de Saint-Laurent, at Madame Lespérance’s, as well as at Simpson’s and Eaton’s in Toronto.
In 1946, Daudelin married artist Louise Bissonnette. A few days later, the couple flew to Paris, due to the scholarship awarded to Daudelin by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He regularly saw Léger and met the French sculptor and illustrator Henri Laurens, who he would later meet a number of times.
Career in Canada (1948–2001)
When he returned to Canada in 1948, Charles Daudelin continued to learn new forms of art, creating and exhibiting frequently. The Daudelins built a house in Kirkland that also served as the couple’s studio and showroom. Daudelin taught at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal (EBAM) from 1964 to 1968 and founded the “integrated arts” section, inspired by his experience in architecture. Later he also became a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal and at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. He was inducted as a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) in 1972.
Daudelin created important sculptures for the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Complexe G in Quebec City, the Palais de Justice in Montreal, a fountain outside Prince Edward Island’s government offices in Charlottetown, and the foyer of the Théâtre Maisonneuve in Place des Arts in Montreal. He sculpted liturgical objects in bronze and created the furnishings for the Church of Saint-Jean in Pointe-Saint-Charles, Quebec, as well as for the Church of Saint-Thomas d’Aquin in Saint-Lambert, Quebec. He also created the altarpiece in the Sacré-Coeur Chapel of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal and was responsible for the artistic conception of Montreal's Mont-Royal metro station and of a fountain on Place du Québec in Paris.
Throughout his career, Daudelin made marionettes, posters, programs, and stage sets for the theatre and ballet. He also illustrated several books and made medals and trophies. His work can be found in over 50 major public collections across the country, including those of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the National Gallery of Canada, the Université de Montréal and the Université de Sherbrooke. The documentary Charles Daudelin, des mains et des mots, written and directed by Richard Lavoie, was released in 1998.
A fire broke out at the Maison Charles-Daudelin in Kirkland on the night of 29 to 30 December 2024. The Town of Kirkland had decided to preserve the site, which Daudelin considered part of his life's work. However, the historic building was not protected by the Heritage Act at the time of the fire.
Distinctions
Charles Daudelin won second prize in the Concours artistiques du Québec on several occasions, in the painting category (1946) and the sculpture category (1964 and 1969). He received the Lynch-Staunton Award from the Canada Council for the Arts in 1972 and the following year in 1973 the Allied Arts Medal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. The Musées d'Art Contemporain and the Musée du Québec devoted a major retrospective exhibition to his work in 1974.
In 1981 Daudelin received the Prix Philippe-Hébert from the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste of Montreal and the prestigious Prix Émile-Borduas in 1985 for his body of work. He was also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 1997, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec presented Daudelin, a retrospective of his career shown through over 180 of his pieces. In 1998, Daudelin was appointed Grand Officier of the National Order of Québec and Grand Montréalais of the Ordre de Montréal. In 2016, he was promoted to Commandeur of the Ordre de Montréal.
