The MMFA Salutes the Memory of a Great Lady of the Art Scene, Jacqueline Desmarais (1928-2018)

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) has expressed its great sadness on learning of the death of Mrs. Jacqueline Desmarais, who passed away on March 3 at the age of eighty-nine. Deeply committed to the arts and music, she participated in the artistic vitality of Montreal through her support of its cultural organizations, including the MMFA.

The Museum wishes to acknowledge Mrs. Desmarais’s invaluable contribution to the enrichment of our collective cultural heritage. As a private individual, together with other patrons, she contributed to the acquisition of the glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly entitled The Sun (2003), which has become an icon for the citizens of Montreal. Alongside her husband, business leader Paul G. Desmarais (1927-2013), the founder of Power Corporation, and her family, she promoted the implementation of the project for the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion, which was built in 1991 thanks to a major donation from the philanthropic couple and Power Corporation.