Françoise Sullivan

Sullivan returned to Montréal in 1947 and continued choreographing modern dance. In 1948, accompanied by Jean-Paul Riopelle and Maurice Perron, Sullivan performed Danse dans la neige (Dance in the Snow) outside in Otterburn Park, Quebec.[5] Perron and Riopelle both documented the performance, however, only Perron's photographs remain as Riopelle's film footage was later lost. Like other members of Les Automatistes Sullivan was interested in 'psychic automatism' and Danse dans la neige was the second in a series of performances in which Sullivan improvised gestural movements to explore the seasons. Danse dans la neige is considered one of the most significant pieces of performance art in Canadian art history. The only score was the crunching of her own footsteps in the thickly crusted snow; her small audience consisted of Riopelle, Perron, their cameras, and the landscape itself.[6] In 2007 Sullivan reworked her first two performances Summer and Danse dans la neige and completed two more choreographed dances which were filmed by Mario Côté to create Les Saisons Sullivan.[1][7]

On the 3rd of April, 1948 Sullivan performed with her dance partner, Jeanne Renaud, at Ross House on the McGill University campus in Montréal. Their collaborative performance featured choreographed and improvised movements, accompanied by a poetry reading by Claude Gauvreau. This event is considered a significant moment in the history of modern dance in Québec.[7][8]

In the late 1950s, Sullivan turned to sculpture under the guidance of Armand Vaillancourt and learned welding at École des arts et métiers in Lachine, Québec. Her work was soon recognized as some of the most important modern sculpture in Québec.[9] In 1960, she took a three-month course in sculpture with Louis Archambault at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal where she learned how to work with wood, iron, and plaster. In 1967 Sullivan received multiple commissions for monumental public sculpture. One, Callooh Callay, was installed on the fairgrounds of Expo 67,[10] and the other, Aeris Ludus, was exhibited as part of Sculpture '67 at Nathan Phillips Square.[11] In the late 1960s, Sullivan and Ewen experimented with plexiglass. In 1976, the couple collaborated with the sculptor David Moore on a work for the infamous Corridart exhibit. The work, Legend of Artists, used a series of vitrines and didactic panels to illuminate the rich history of art and artists' lives in the city. When Jean Drapeau ordered Corridart dismantled, Sullivan was one of the twelve artists who sued the city, a case that took twelve years to win.[12]

During the 1980s, Sullivan returned to painting. Between 1982 and 1994, she produced several series, which are regarded as the culmination of her work in this medium. These series include the Cretan Cycle (1983-85), the Hommages (2002-03), and the Tondos (1980s).[13][14][15] In 1997, she completed Montagnes (Mountains), a granite wall located in the main lobby of President Kennedy Pavilion of Université du Québec à Montréal. Montagnes is the only permanently installed Sullivan sculpture.[16] In 2000, UQAM awarded her an honorary doctorate. Since 1997, Sullivan has taught painting at Concordia University.[17] In 2001, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal held a retrospective of her work.[18]

• 1943 – Prix Maurice Cullen from École des beaux-arts de Montréal
• 1963 – Prix du Québec, Sculpture
• 1981 – Second prize- Segal Centre for Performing Arts Biennial
• 1983 – Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award from Canada Council
• 1987 – Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas
• 1990 – Member of the Royal Academy of Canada
• 1998 – Honorary doctorate from York University
• 2000 – Honorary doctorate from Université du Québec à Montréal
• 2001 – Member of Order of Canada
• 2002 – Knight of the National Order of Quebec
• 2005 – Governor General of Canada in Visual and Media Arts

• Gérin, Annie. Françoise Sullivan: Life & Work. Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2018. ISBN 978-1-4871-0162-6
• "Heralding choreographic modernism". 1994. Studies in Dance History. 5 (2): 45–64.
• Lindgren, Allana. 1999. ""La danse et l'espoir": Françoise Sullivan and the Quebec automatist movement". Proceedings. 155–159.
• Lindgren, Allana. 2003. From automatism to modern dance: Françoise Sullivan with Franziska Boas in New York. Toronto: Dance Collection Danse Press/es.
• Odom, Selma Landen. 2004. Canadian dance: visions and stories. Toronto: Dance Collection Danse Press/es
• Sullivan, Françoise. 1981. Françoise Sullivan: rétrospective : Musée d'art contemporain, Montréal, 19 novembre 1981-3 janvier 1982 : une exposition. Québec: Ministère des affaires culturelles.