The Museum’s Pavilion of International Art will house not only its collection of international art from the Old Masters to modern works but also and most notably the collection donated by Mr. and Mrs. Hornstein. The new wing, to open in 2017, will affirm yet again the architectural excellence of Montreal, a UNESCO City of Design, and feature as one of the highlights of the city’s 375th anniversary.

The consortium of Manon Asselin architecte + Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes
Based on a relationship of trust and respect, the consortium of Manon Asselin Architecte and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architectes has been offering architectural creativity, technical innovation and managerial experience for over fifteen years. The team assembled was chosen both for its proficiency in the context of the present project and for the dependable relationship established during earlier projects. Since 1996 its principal members have worked together on over fifteen designs for cultural projects including numerous architetectural competitions.

Their achievements include the Châteauguay library (2003), the Vieux-Terrebonne theatre (2004) and most recently the Raymond-Lévesque library (2011). The collective architectural corpus of Manon Asselin Architecte and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architectes has garnered many awards and honourable mentions.

Manon Asselin is co–founder, with her partner Katsuhiro Yamazaki, of a young architectural firm based in Montreal – L’Atelier TAG. The agency is particularly interested in evocative space, space that generates experiences, and in the potential of the material culture to stimulate the collective imagination. Their work has garnered awards for merit with enviable regularity both nationally and internationally: two Medals from the Governor General of Canada (2006), the Prix de Rome from the Canada Council for the Arts (2008), the New York League of Architecture Emerging Voices Award (2012) and a recent nomination for the International Iakov Chernikov Prize in conceptual architecture (2013). Through its participation in architectural competitions since 1997, L’Atelier TAG has become a major actor in the culture of architecture in Quebec. Manon Asselin also pursues her researches and ideas as a professor of architecture at the Faculté de l’aménagement at Université de Montréal.

Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes, founded in Montreal in 1958, has grown to a team of some eighty architects and technicians under the direction of Michel Bourassa, Michel Broz, Jean Martin, Sylvain Morrier and Nicolas Ranger. Over the course of the past fifty years, JLP have been involved in the architectural concepts, construction and restructuring of a diverse and specialized portfolio of buildings, particularly in the fields of education, health, cultural and residential sectors. The recipient of almost 75 awards for excellence, JLP has continually demonstrated a capacity to conceive and complete projects of the utmost quality and has developed an approach that places a high value on the built environment as part of our collective heritage.

The process of selecting the winner of this architectural competition
The choice of the consortium of Manon Asselin Architecte + Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architectes was made in two stages. In December 2012, the MMFA has launched this architectural competition. During the first step of selection, twenty architectural firms with a Montreal office took part in the competition. The eight-member jury, including five independent architects (Clément Demers, Thomas Fontaine, Jean Claude Marsan, Philippe Poulin and Mario Saïa, who acted as president) and three members of the MMFA (Brian M. Levitt, Chairman of the Board; Nathalie Bondil and Bruce Mc Niven, Chairman of the Buildings, Maintenance and Security Advisory Committee), selected three finalists based on the evaluation of their files, without the presentation of sketches. The main selection criteria evaluated at this first stage were the candidate’s design skills and the experience of his or her team and proven ability to adhere to budgets.

The consortium of Manon Asselin Architecte and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architectes, Saucier + Perrotte Architectes and Les Architectes FABG have been selected to go on to the second phase. In this phase, every finalist had to draw up plans to submit to the jury. The selection criteria were the following: conceptual approach; expression of the architectural option and its formalization; architectural solution to the main challenges; achievement of the goals of programming and operation; adherence to the construction budget; and measures taken to provide a basic LEED certification. After studying the submitted projects, the jury unanimously voted for the consortium of Manon Asselin Architecte and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architectes.

This competition was open to all architects in Quebec in accordance with the regulations governing the Ordre des architectes du Quebec (OAQ) and those established by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec.

The MMFA’s Fifth Pavilion
The new Pavilion of International Art will be built on Bishop Street and linked to the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion by a double bridge spanning the entrance to the alley. It will also feature an entrance for adult and school groups that will help generate activity on Bishop Street. The MMFA’s Fifth Pavilion will be built in conformity with international standards for museum design and conservation.

Financing the Fifth Pavilion
The Government of Quebec has granted $18.5 million to the MMFA for the construction of this new pavilion of international art to underscore the historic donation of the Hornstein Collection. It is important to remember that the MMFA’s acquisitions fund is entirely private and that a collection such as this could not be purchased or assembled by any institution in Canada today. The MMFA’s plan for financing this project is an unusual one: 85% of the funding will be covered by the private sector, including the value of the Hornsteins’ gift of their collection. The contribution of the Quebec government will help defray the costs of construction, while the additional operating costs of the new pavilion will be met entirely by the private sector, following the exceptional model of funding used for the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art.

PRESS CONTACT:
Thomas Bastien, Press Officer
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
514-285-1600, ext. 205 – [email protected]

About the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has one of the highest attendance rates among Canadian museums. Every year, more than 700,000 people visit its unique encyclopedic collection (free of charge) and its original temporary exhibitions, which combine artistic disciplines (fine arts, music, film, fashion and design) and feature innovative exhibition designs. It initiates, produces and circulates many of its exhibitions across Europe and North America.

It is also one of Canada’s leading publishers of art books in English and French, which are distributed worldwide. Over 100,000 families and school groups take part in its educational, cultural and community-oriented programmes each year. The fall of 2011 saw the opening of a fourth pavilion at the Museum – the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art – and a 444-seat concert venue – Bourgie Hall – housing an outstanding collection of Tiffany stained glass windows. This expansion also brought about the reinstallation of the Museum’s rich holdings in its other three pavilions, which house the World Cultures, Early and Contemporary European Art, and Decorative Arts and Design collections. Music is now an integral part of the Museum, providing another perspective on the visual arts, through musical audioguides and other innovative activities. In 2012, the new Studios Art & Education Michel de la Chenelière were inaugurated, doubling the Museum’s educational facilities for schools, families and community groups. A fifth pavilion, devoted to international art, will open its doors by 2017.