Espace Riopelle: A main pavilion at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec

Now we know what the Espace Riopelle, the new pavilion of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, will look like, a collection of the most important public works by the famous Quebec painter Jean-Paul Riopelle.

• Also Read: $2.5 million for Espace Riopelle

• Also Read: Espace Riopelle at MNBAQ: Architecture competition opens

The MNBAQ also unveiled the first sketch of the building, which sits between the Charles-Baillarge and Gérard-Morissette pavilions, announcing Wednesday that a concept conceived by Montreal firm Les Architects FABG had won an architectural competition.

Largely fenestrated, the pavilion makes ample room for wood and immerses visitors in an “ascending journey” that culminates in a circular space housing Riopelle’s masterpiece. Tribute to Rosa Luxemburg.

Despite changes to the project as it moves into the integrated design phase this fall, MNBAQ director general Jean-Luc Murray already can’t contain his excitement.

“It’s a good start and I think it’s going to be an important building for Quebec. We’ll see it when we go up Grande-Alley. It’s going to be an iconic building,” he predicts.

Origami

Announced by Prime Minister François Legault in December 2021, the Espace Riopelle project is based on an extraordinary donation of 68 paintings worth $100 million from businessmen and collectors Michael J. Auden and Pierre Lassonde.

The design of the pavilion, which cost $45 million to build, was the subject of an architectural competition that juried proposals from around the world.

The firm Les Architects FABG was selected among the four finalists, a group that included two Danish firms. The choice was difficult, Jean-Luc Murray admitted, especially since the four concepts presented were very different from each other.

“We really liked how it became like origami, a multi-faceted pavilion that has a unique personality when contrasted with other buildings that are already diverse,” Mr Murray said.

Resonate with work

“The proposed project seeks to resonate with Riopelle’s work and life, taking some of the elements associated with him, including his love of nature and movement,” explains Eric Gauthier in a video. The winning company is the principal partner.

It is also involved in the renovation of the Saint-Denis Theatre, the construction of the new Formula 1 paddocks at Île Notre-Dame and the modernization of the Verdun Auditorium, among others.

A final sketch of Espace Riopelle will be unveiled in January 2023, and construction should begin in late summer with a goal of opening in late 2025 or early 2026.