Lets’lo:tseltun – Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun (1957-), Natives Playing on the Land, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 274 x 183 cm. MMFA, gift of W. Bruce C. Bailey in honour of Jacques Des Rochers, Senior Curator of Quebec and Canadian Art. © Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. Courtesy of the artist and Macaulay & Co. Fine Art | Nicolas Party (born in 1980), Landscape, 2021, pastel on canvas stretched on wood panel, 265 x 180 cm. MMFA, gift of Iris and Adam Singer. © Nicolas Party. Photos MMFA, Jean-François Brière
Lets’lo:tseltun – Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun (1957-), Natives Playing on the Land, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 274 x 183 cm. MMFA, gift of W. Bruce C. Bailey in honour of Jacques Des Rochers, Senior Curator of Quebec and Canadian Art. © Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. Courtesy of the artist and Macaulay & Co. Fine Art | Nicolas Party (born in 1980), Landscape, 2021, pastel on canvas stretched on wood panel, 265 x 180 cm. MMFA, gift of Iris and Adam Singer. © Nicolas Party. Photos MMFA, Jean-François Brière
This exhibition unveils a selection of artworks that have been acquired by the MMFA over the last five years, displayed in groupings that create a dialogue between the works, through their subject, medium, form, function and time period. Through these juxtapositions, we hope to provoke new and enlightening interpretations of the Museum’s collection.
Two by Two, Together features important paintings by William Brymner, Peter Doig, Pierre Dorion, Wanda Koop, Stéphane La Rue, Robert Clow Todd, Claude Tousignant, Robin F. Williams, and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun; sculptures by Louise Bourgeois, Stanley Février, Giuseppe Penone and Kishio Suga; graphic works by Tony Lewis, Nicolas Party and Rembrandt; photographs by Herbert List and Robert Mapplethorpe; and an early Chinese cosmic board (Liuren Shipan) from the Sui Dynasty.
The majority of the selected works are being shown to the Museum’s audiences for the first time!
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Robert Clow Todd (1809-1866), Corbeau at Montmorency Falls, 1845, oil on canvas, 53.5 x 67.3 cm. MMFA, purchase, Donald Luc Boisvert and Gaston Lamontagne Fund. Photo MMFA, Julie Ciot
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669), Head of Rembrandt with a Soft Cap, or Rembrandt with Three Moustaches, about 1634, etching, only state, 4.9 x 4.3 cm (sheet). MMFA, gift of Freda and Irwin Browns. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
Stanley Février (born in 1976), what does it mean to Be, now?, from the series “Les grands espoirs,” 2020, plaster, 40 x 46 x 21 cm. MMFA, purchase, through the generosity of An-Lap Vo-Dignard and Jennifer Nguyen. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
Peter Doig (born in 1959), Iron Hill, 1991, oil on canvas, 37.3 x 45.9 cm. MMFA, gift of the artist. © Peter Doig, licensed by DACS / CARCC Ottawa 2024. Photo MMFA, Julie Ciot
Henrietta Mabel May (1884-1971), Spring Snow, Knowlton, about 1927, oil on wood, 15.7 x 22 cm. MMFA, Geraldine Malcoff Bequest. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest
Pierre Dorion (born in 1959), Interior III, 2020, oil on canvas, 208.6 x 152.4 cm. MMFA, gift of the artist. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
Tony Lewis (born in 1986), Take out the garbage without being told, 2016, graphite powder on paper, 126.4 x 180.8 cm. MMFA, gift of Dr. Paul Marks and family. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
In the media
Voir les œuvres, voir l’art autrement : voilà sans doute la volonté des commissaires du MBAM, et le résultat est à la hauteur des attentes. [...] On ne saurait trop recommander d’aller y faire un tour.
[La conservatrice] Iris Amizlev [...] a jumelé des tableaux tantôt par la forme, tantôt par le sujet, tantôt par l’époque, créant ainsi des associations étonnantes qui entraînent le spectateur dans ses propres réflexions.
Le Devoir
Two by Two, Together’ bridges the gap between art and viewer
…iIt feels especially powerful that the MMFA has put together an exhibition where the viewer, be they an art history major or someone just looking for something to do on a Sunday, has the opportunity to play an active role.
The Tribune
On apprécie l’exercice qui rend beaucoup plus intéressante la visite d’une exposition de pièces de la collection permanente [...]. Grâce à cette présentation, les visiteurs ne peuvent faire autrement que de pousser un peu plus loin la réflexion, de s’attarder à l’œuvre et, oui, d’y voir des liens avec sa semblable.
La Presse
The MMFA is opening a window into its collecting practices with the exhibition Two by Two, Together, which brings together a rich selection of works from all over the world that have been acquired over the past five years. Most of them are being shown to the public for the first time.
The Montrealer
Cette exposition est un véritable bijou. Elle [...] promet d’être un moment fort de la culture, mettant en avant le musée comme un lieu où chacun peut trouver l’inspiration.
Les Artsze
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Photo Thibault Carron
Credits and curatorial team
An exhibition organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The exhibition is curated by Iris Amizlev, Curator of Special Projects, MMFA.
We thank writer, composer and singer Pierre Lapointe for allowing us to title the exhibition after one of his songs, “Deux par deux rassemblés,” translated here from the French.
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Public Partners
Photo Thibault Carron
