World Press Photo 14: Montreal 2014

World Press Photo 14

August 27- September 28, 2014


This year, once again, the Montreal World Press Photo 14 will be held at the Bounsecure market in Old Montreal. The selection of the photos is wide, and permits a visitor to see the best of the Press Photo selections in many categories.

The sport section is well represented. Just below are photos of Erza Show, USA, Getty Images, who won the 2nd Prize Sports Action Stories. His photos portray the 34th America's Cup which was held in San Francisco Bay in September 2013.

The three photos below are by Quinne Roney, Australia, Getty Images, who won the 3rd Prize Sports Action Stories by capturing photos during swimming championships.

Next photos are by Rena Effendi, Azerbaijan, Institute for National Geographic. She merited the 3rt Prize in Observed Portraits Story. Her stories are situated in Transylvania, Romania, and speak of everyday activities.

Elena Chernyshova, Russia,  won the 3rd Prize Daily Life Stories. Her photos show the life in Norilsk, in northern Russia, the second largest city within the Arctic Circle. The harsh realities of the winter, when temperature drop to -50 degrees Centigrade, comes to the full focus. It is contrasted with a photo that depicts an appreciation of a very brief summer.

Two photos below depict the animal world. They show a remarkable, human-like facial and gestural expressions of Banabos monkeys. The photos are by Christian Ziegler, Germany, for National Geographic. They won 3rd Prize Nature Stories.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

For more information visit the World Press Photo Montreal 2014 website:

http://www.worldpressphotomontreal.ca

Bens, The Legendary Deli: McCord Museum

Bens, The Legendary Deli

June 19 - November 23, 2014

McCord Museum is presenting a new exhibition about the famous deli Bens Delicatessen, the very first of the Montreal's smoked meat restaurants. McCord is a History Museum, yet this exhibition is set as an artistic installation the purpose of which is to capture the past, and to show how that past had been lived at Bens. The exhibition presents over 100 objects, including posters, architectural plans, photos, counter stools, dishes, utensils, menus, recipes, and individual testimonials that recount the history of that unique landmark.

This exhibition had been enabled by the generous donation of Bens' memorabilia to the McCord Museum by the Kravitz family. It is overseen by Elliot Kravitz, shown in the photo below at the McCord's press conference, a grandson of Ben (Benjamin) Kravitz, the founder of the Bens.

Below is the example of the tables and chairs used at Bens. It is interesting to note that the interior décor and the colour scheme was designed by Ben's wife Fanny. She claimed she chose that specific colour scheme because it had been tested to create a great appetite, yet at the same it made people to leave the deli quickly, thus liberating the place for new customers. Fanny also invented a special device just for women: under every table's corner there was a hook for women to hang their purses.

Bens restaurant existed for close to 100 years, from 1898 until 2006, and had been a vibrant fixture of the city of Montreal throughout the 20th century. Its smoked meat, atmosphere, and décor earned it a local and international reputation that attracted many celebrities including, for instance, Michael Jackson and Catherine Deneuve.

Below are additional views of the exhibition.

The last picture offers a glimpse of the famous Poets' Corner with photos of poets who had dined at Bens and were the deli's patrons.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

For more information visit the McCord Museum's website:

http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en

FABERGÉ at MMFA 2014

FABULOUS FABERGÉ
JEWELLER TO THE CZARS

June 14 - October 5, 2014

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is presenting the most important Fabergé collection outside Russia in an exclusive Canadian venue. 

The Russian jeweller Carl Fabergé (1846-1920) created precious objects for the Russian Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The name of the Fabergé firm became synonymous with elegant craftsmanship and luxury jewellery. It is also associated with the final days of the Russian imperial family.

The exhibition features some 240 objects, including four of the most famous Royal Fabergé Easter eggs commissioned by the Romanovs, the Czar Nicholas II. They are all unique, one of the kind, as is the case of all Fabergé objects.

Below is a photo of a Fabergé Imperial Cesarevich Easter Egg with the Russian imperial double-headed eagle with the royal crown above it.

Large Fabergé eggs have a "surprise" inside them. The royal blue and golden egg's "surprise" is a diamond-clad royal double-headed eagle with the portrait of the imperial heir, Prince Alexei, son of the Czar Nicholas II. The royal crown hovers above the prince's head, yet he was never destined to become a king because all the royal family was murdered right after the Russian revolution.

Below is another Fabergé egg featured at the exhibition. It is Imperial Peter the Great Easter Egg. It has on the outside two portraits: one is of the Russian Czar Peter the Great (Peter I), the other is the portrait of the last Russian Czar Nicholas II. Inside, there is a miniature replica of the Saint Petersburg's large sculpture of Peter the Great on a horseback.

Below is a detail of the Imperial Peter the Great Easter Egg.

The exhibition also features enamelled picture frames, clocks, gold cigarette cases and knobs for walking canes, rock-crystal flowers, caskets and brooches encrusted with rubies. They still continue to fascinate as they did when they first appeared in the windows of the Fabergé stores in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and London.

This exhibition was organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The exhibition features a wealth of documentation on the history and tradition of the Orthodox Russia, the techniques of the House of Fabergé, and also those who forged Fabergé works.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

For more information, visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts's website:

http://www.mbam.qc.ca/en

MUSIC – QUEBEC: McCord Museum

MUSIC – QUEBEC: FROM CHARLEBOIS TO ARCADE FIRE
The history of Quebec through its music, from the 1960s to today

May 30 to October 13, 2014

The McCord Museum is holding a new exhibition MUSIC - QUEBEC. The exhibition is presented by Sony Canada and Radio-Canada in collaboration with Milk. It invites the public to discover the ways in which  the songs and the artists on the Quebec music scene have contributed to cultural vibrancy and Quebecers’ sense of identity from the 1960 to today.

The exhibition is divided into six thematic zones, riding through waves of music and related cultural trends from the early 1960s to the present.

This exhibition is an excellent place to learn about the Quebec music trends and to discover how they influenced and formed the Quebecers' self-identity, culture and the society.

   

This exhibition is equipped with audio guides, which make it easier for a visitor to follow the music trends and to navigate through the exhibition areas. One will discover many unique items on display, like the red, snake-shaped Panasonic radio from 1972 in the photo below on the left or the personal portable record players on the right.

There are also some performance dresses and costumes from several Quebec stage personalities as in the photos below.

Come to the show and discover who was wearing what...

Click on any image to enlarge it.

To find out more about the exhibition and the McCord Museum, visit the museum's website:

http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en

SIDIM 2014

SIDIM 2014: 

Montreal International Design Show

May 22 - 25, 2014

SIDIM is a showcase for the newest contemporary trends in design, architectural and building, comprising of local and foreign communities. The exhibitors are hand picked industry leaders, chosen for their quality and presentation. They participate at the SIDIM show to launch their new products and services, and also to reinforce their client base as well as to expand into new markets.

One can find many interesting and playful artistic and design elements at this how as for instance the transformed old sowing machines in the two photos below.

This year, the show is once again being held at the Place Bonaventure exhibition hall.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

Visit SIDIM website for more information

http://www.sidim.com/en

Treasures of Napoleon

Treasures of Napoleon

May 16 - September 1, 2014

This summer, Montréal is hosting a one-of-a-kind major international exhibition, the Treasures of Napoléon. It features over 350 artworks, many of which have been never seen by the public before. The exhibition presents jewels from Pierre-Jean Chalençon’s prestigious private collection that presently consists of 2,000 items. It also has over ten pieces from the private collection of the Honourable Serge Joyal, a Canadian Senator.

The Montreal's Treasures of Napoleon exhibition is held in the crypt beneath the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. The newly restored crypt spans over 15,000 square feet.

The exhibition is arranged into six thematic areas - galleries:

1. Napoleon, the man
2. Josephine and the Coronation
3. Marie-Louse and the King of Rome
4. Napoleon and his Family
5. The Arts at the Napoleonic Court
6. Napoleon on Sainte-Helen Island

Organized by the Exhibits Developments Group in cooperation with the Chalençon Collection in France, the exhibition is the largest of its kind ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 

There are four categories of exhibits to explore: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, and Decorative Art.

To find out more about this exhibition and to see additional photos of objects on display, visit the Treasures of Napoleon Montreal exhibition website

http://napoleon-montreal.ca/en

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Hover your mouse over a photo to read the description.

Read about the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts's exhibition Napoleon / Art and Life in the Imperial Palace (February 3 - May 6, 2918) here.