André Montpetit
(1942–)
(–2012)
André Montpetit
1942–2012
André Montpetit (1942–2012), nicknamed Arthur, was an illustrator, poster designer, comic book artist, painter, and writer from Montreal, Quebec. His work is known for its satirical humor and its exploration of the relationship between society and art.
After a short stint at the École des Beaux- Arts in Montreal, Montpetit dropped out as he did not enjoy the formal structure or the supervision that came with the institution. In 1965, he joined l’Atelier libre de recherche graphique, a print studio founded by engraver Richard Lacroix. While at the studio, Montpetit produced numerous prints and drawings that attracted public attention due to their satirical humor and their ability to question the way that people think. Montpetit was also a member of Fusion des arts, a collective of multidisciplinary artists active from 1960 to 1970 who were collaboratively exploring the relationship between art and societal change.
In the late 1960s, Quebec was experiencing a resurgence of comics as a mode of artistic expression. This allowed Montpetit and other illustrators, including Marc-Antoine Nadeau, Michel Fortier, and poet Claude Haeffely, to come together in 1968 to form Chiendent, the first cartoonist group in Quebec. The group published numerous cartoons in various Quebecois publications, however, after only six months of activity, they disbanded in 1969. Despite their short existence, their work made a mark on the art community and is said to have signaled the beginning of the printemps de bande dessinée in Québec (the Spring of Quebecois Comics).
Montpetit quickly became disillusioned with his success. Despite many opportunities with leading publications and the National Film Board, he began to isolate himself from the artistic community throughout the 1970s and had all but disappeared by the mid 1980s. In 2012, after 25 years of isolation, filmmaker Saél Lacroix reunited with Montpetit at Saint-Luc Hospital a month before he died. The conversations between Lacroix and Montpetit became the basis for a documentary titled Sur les traces d’Arthur.
Despite his short period of activity, Montpetit produced a large body of prints, drawings, and posters. In 1967, he co-produced two installations for the Montreal World Fair, one with Richard Lacroix and another with Marc-Antoine Nadeau. His work can be found in a number of public and private collections, including at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montreal among others.