McCord 2024: Portraits and Fashion

Portraits and Fashion: Quebec Photographers Beyond Borders

Turning the lens on Quebec talent

May 31 - September 29, 2024

This McCord Stewart Museum’s exhibition is foremost a celebration of the talent of Quebec photographers, whose creative works appeared in the world’s leading fashion magazines, advertising agencies, and in music scenes. The prints of 17 established and emerging photographers who were either born in Quebec or immigrated here, but who all have international reach, are brought together in a well-designed exhibition. They are: Max Abadian, William Arcand, Richard Bernardin, Alex Black, Sacha Cohen, Cristina Gareau, Andréanne Gauthier, Royal Gilbert, Shayne Laverdière, Carl Lessard, Monic Richard, Norman Jean Roy, Étienne Saint-Denis, Nelson Simoneau, Oumayma Ben Tanfous, Xavier Tera and villedepluie.

In addition to fashion photos taken for the press, an impressive series of iconic portraits are presented to the public, from Céline Dion, U2 and Charlotte Cardin to Nelson Mandela, Zidane, Elisapie, Adele, Barbie Ferreira, Mika and Les Louanges.

This exhibition, presented by Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, is aimed at a wide audience with a passion for photography, fashion and the world of Quebec, Canadian and international celebrities. It is accompanied by a catalogue featuring 268 photographs by the 17 photographers.

Some twenty audiovisual pieces were produced for the occasion, including a multi-surface projection by the creative agency Rodeo FX. They offer a peek inside the photographers’ artistic approach and feature anecdotes from artists who were photographed by the exhibition photographers.

Anne Eschapasse, President and CEO of the McCord Stewart Museum’s stated:

“This exhibition is the second instalment of our summer programming devoted to fashion photography and celebrity portraits, alongside Norman Parkinson: Always in Style. It’s an unprecedented opportunity to meet 17 local photographers, who are true ambassadors of Quebec’s creative vitality, reaching out to the four corners of the globe. It also reflects the growing concern for greater diversity in the fashion industry and society in general. Perhaps it will inspire the next generation of photographers to dare to dream beyond borders.” 

The exhibition was curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the man behind several memorable exhibitions, including Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, and most recently, the retrospective devoted to the creative duo Victor & Rolf, Portraits and Fashion: Quebec Photographers Beyond Borders is his first exhibition to focus on contemporary editorial, commercial and commission photography.

 Thierry-Maxime Loriot stated:

“There are so many ways you could define the work of these 17 artists, who brilliantly blend the different genres of photography. They are sometimes referred to as portraitists, documentarians, image artists or fashion photographers. But they all have one thing in common: Quebec. Whether from Tunisia or Iran, the Laurentians or Montérégie, well-established or yet-to-be-discovered, these artists have all developed their unique creativity and aesthetic vision in Quebec, before exporting and establishing themselves as key players on today’s international scene. For some, Quebec’s fashion and publishing microcosm and its photography schools have been a springboard that has propelled them towards the great capitals – such as New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles and Tokyo – and the pages of the biggest magazines.” 

A summer of fashion at the Museum

The exhibition completes the diptych of exhibitions devoted to fashion photography presented this summer at the McCord Stewart Museum. Portraits and Fashion: Quebec Photographers Beyond Borders picks up where Norman Parkinson: Always in Style leaves off in 1990, presenting the evolution of recent fashion photography. Visitors to the Museum will be able to explore a century in the evolution of fashion and the particular photographic art associated with it. The two exhibitions will also reveal just how far we’ve come since Norman Parkinson’s time.

Click on images to enlarge them.

All photos @ Nadia Slejskova

For more information about current exhibitions and special evens associated with this exhibition, visit the McCord Stewart Museum website.