Gabriel Contant's Gallery
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Artistic Approach
Studies
In the early fifties, Gabriel Contant participated in the lyrical abstraction movement, to which he made a noted contribution. Both the Musée du Québec and the Musée d’Art Contemporain have acquired some of his works. This period lasted fifteen years and was followed by a semi-figurative interlude. In the seventies, Gabriel Contant returned to painting landscapes and gradually, through his love of nature, reconciled himself with figurative art. At the time the painter added a sure touch and pure, clear lighting to the already warm and vivid colours of his work. The red poppy fields of Provence had a marked influence on his work.
Gabriel Contant was born in Joliette, Québec, on January 4, 1931. He studied art at Montréal’s École des Beaux-Arts from 1947 to 1953, including two years of painting with Stanley Cosgrove. Upon graduation, he received the Prix des professeurs, the Prix de l’ambassade de France and the Prix du Ministre. After a stint as a window designer at Morgan’s department store, he became a set designer at Radio Canada, where he remains from 1960 to 1988. He was also active in theatre and cinema. He travelled to Japan to study television set design and to Italy and Provence, in France, to pursue his artistic activities.