MONTREAL.- The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts invites the public to rediscover its rich collection of decorative arts and design from a fresh perspective. Visitors will be greeted by an entirely reconfigured space aimed at fostering greater appreciation for design in all its forms by encouraging a deeper reflection on our everyday interactions with designed objects.

Spread over the two levels of the Liliane and David M. Stewart Pavilion, a marvel of Brutalist architecture, the new installation of the collection covers nearly 2,000 m2, bringing together some 800 works (silverware, ceramics, jewellery, furniture, textiles, glassware, craft and industrial design objects) and over 400 designers, artists, and artisans from around the world. Close to a quarter of these objects are being shown for the first time.

At the centre of this major installation, the public will once again be able to see Dale Chihuly’s The Sun (2003). Previously installed on the front steps of the Museum during the summer, this majestic and beloved sculpture composed of 1,200 rays of blown glass now shines in perpetuity at the heart of the Liliane and David M. Stewart Pavilion.

The re-installation also features a new space dedicated to silver and metal works produced in Europe and Canada from the 17th to 20th century. This gallery presents a selection of silver pieces from the over 1,000 objects that the Honourable Serge Joyal has offered to the MMFA since 1990. Highlights of the collection attest to the importance of silversmithing activity in Quebec City and Montreal from the late 18th century onwards, represented here by master silversmiths Laurent Amiot and Robert Hendery. The collection also traces its expansion in the 1880s under the leadership of the Birks jewellery firm and includes more contemporary works from the 20th century by jewellers Maurice Brault and Walter Schluep.

A NEW THEME-BASED PRESENTATION

Adopting both a transhistorical and theme-based approach, the new presentation explores the evolution of design from the 15th century to the present day, reflecting the social changes that have occurred over that time. The main floor focuses on design as a form of cultural expression while the upper level explores the functionality of design. Visitors can explore the expressive qualities of objects as well as their technical functions and innovations.

Twelve themed sections highlight the diversity not only of the objects in the collection but also of their production techniques, ranging from traditional handcrafting to digital fabrication. The reinstallation spotlights innovations in such diverse fields as well‑being, communications, domestic life, office work and transportation. Visitors won’t want to miss a rare example of Richard Buckminster Fuller’s prefabricated Dymaxion (1936) bathroom, a Keracolor B1 (1969) large-format spherical television designed by Arthur Bracegirdle, Douglas Ball’s self-contained office capsule dubbed the Clipper CS-1 (1992), or the 10th-anniversary edition of the smart fortwo car (2009), of which only 100 examples were produced.

Anchoring the presentation between the upper and lower levels is an object-based chronology that tells the story of the evolution of design from a historical perspective, focusing on themes such as global trade and exchange, colonialism and imperialism, the Industrial Revolution, modernism and 21st-century design.

“We’re thrilled to share this all-new presentation of our decorative arts and design collection with our visitors. The culmination of an over-three-year collaboration between design historian Rachel Gotlieb and the MMFA’s teams, this display studded with objects shown for the first time highlights era-defining aesthetic, material, and technological advances from the 15th century to today. It is both an ode to the ingenuity of artisans and designers past and present and an invitation to discover the many ways decorative arts and design shape our interactions with the world around us,” explains Mary‑Dailey Desmarais, the Zhao-Ionescu Chief Curator at the MMFA.

“This reinstallation aims to foster greater appreciation for design by encouraging reflection on our everyday interactions with designed objects. It reveals how these works—from crafts to industrial design—evolve along with society and help shape our daily lives with ever greater inventiveness and creativity. It also sheds light on the Museum’s collection-building process, highlighting curatorial decisions and cultural considerations that have influenced this comprehensive and remarkable assemblage of decorative arts and design work over time,” adds guest curator Rachel Gotlieb.

NEW ACQUISITIONS AND RARELY DISPLAYED OBJECTS

The redesigned galleries bring together many outstanding objects from the MMFA’s collection, including works by Edward Barnard & Sons, Christopher Dresser, Elkington, Nicholas Hilliard, Jean Pierre‑Latz, Mason & Co., Louis Majorelle and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Remarkable acquisitions include a miniature Louis XV commode, as well as a rare Sèvres breakfast service which depicts miniatures of celebrated literary and artistic women from the 17th and 18th centuries painted by Jean Georget.

Art Deco, Modernism, Pop and Postmodern design are also represented by numerous designers from both here and abroad, including Douglas Ball, Mario Bellini, Jeannefle Meunier Biéler, Marcel Breuer, Clarice Cliff, François Dallegret, Riccardo Dalisi, Charles and Ray Eames, Gio Ponti and Piero Fornasefli, Frank O. Gehry, Grete Jalk, Léon Kann, Shiro Kuramata, Carlo Mollino, Isamu Noguchi, Gaetano Pesce, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, Hugh Spencer, Eflore Soflsass, Walter Dorwin Teague, Vivianna Torun Bülow‑Hübe, and Mariefle Rousseau‑Vermefle.

Contemporary craft and design also are in the spotlight, with work by Lani Adeoye, Syd Carpenter, Michel Dallaire, James Dyson, Ying Gao, Steven Heinemann, Hitomi Hosono, Hella Jongerius, Ross Lovegrove, Zoë Mowat, Pascale Girardin, Faye Toogood, Ionna Vautrin and Studio 5.5 designers, among others. Furthermore, the presentation will feature recent acquisitions of works by Indigenous designers, including Michael Massie, Audie Murray and Caroline Monnet in collaboration with Humble Nature.

And, finally, to encourage dialogue between the different art forms represented in the Museum’s collections, the presentation displays paintings, sculptures, and textile and paper works by artists such as Edmund Alleyn, Paul‑Émile Borduas, Shary Boyle, Greg Curnoe, Nadia Myre, Woody De Othello, Pablo Picasso and Nam Jun Paik.

EXCEPTIONAL LOANS

The presentation showcases some exceptional loans, including a Paris Metro entrance gate designed by Hector Guimard and a track bike made in 1978 by Giuseppe Marinoni for the famous cyclist Jocelyn Lovell. Visitors can also admire a traditional qajaq made by students from the Kativik Ilisarniliriniq school board in Nunavik, which demonstrates how youth are actively participating in educational projects that combine navigation, cultural transmission and community engagement.