York University
Art Collection Online

Norman LaLiberté (1925– ) is a Canadian artist who was raised in Montréal. He studied at the institute of Design in Chicago where he studied under instructors such as Buckminster Fuller and Gropius. He received a doctorate in Fine Arts from Notre Dame University and an Honorary Doctorate from McGill University.

Notably, he first received widespread recognition as the design consultant for the Vatican Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in 1964, where he created eighty-eight banners as a solution to an all-glass building without walls.

LaLiberté has been featured in more than 100 solo shows worldwide and has written, illustrated and designed 35 children’s books. He has also taught at schools such as the Rhode Island School of Design, Kansas City Art Institute, and Notre Dame. With a strong emphasis on colour, LaLiberté depicts subject matter such as still-life, plants, and figures.

His work can be found in the public and private collections of the Smithsonian Institute, the Detroit Institute of Contemporary Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art (New York), and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection. LaLiberté’s work has been highlighted by The National Film Board in “Banner Film,” and has been featured on the covers of Life and Time. Other major public endeavours include aluminum panels for the International Terminal at Logan Airport, banners for the 25th Anniversary of the Chicago Lyric Opera, and large-scale projects for the New York State Bar Association, IBM, and Alcan Corporation.