Série “Contemplations terrestres”

An exceptional painter and glass artist, Marcelle Ferron was one of the few women to sign the Refus global manifesto (1948). A rebellious and socially conscious artist, she left her mark on the history of Quebec art by extending automatism from the canvas to the most daring glass structures.

Ferron’s philosophy is rooted in the idea that art is an act of social and physical freedom. True to Borduas’s automatism, she favors instinctive creation where emotion guides the hand. For her, aesthetics should not be confined to the elite: by working with glass, she sought to make art “inevitable” by placing it in the path of the citizen, transforming natural light into a vibrant and democratic force.

Her canvases are characterized by generous impasto, broad strokes, and a layering of vibrant colors that create an almost tectonic depth. She revolutionized the art of glass by using antique glass and lead-free thermovitrage, creating monumental abstract compositions.

Her glass canopy at the Champ-de-Mars metro station in Montreal is considered her masterpiece, bathing the public space in colors that shift with the time of day. By asserting her vision in technical fields (glasswork, architecture) once reserved for men, Ferron became a symbol of women’s emancipation in Quebec.

The first woman to receive the Paul-Émile-Borduas Prize (1983), she was also a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec. By integrating art into architecture, she helped shape the visual identity of Quebec modernism in the 1960s and 1970s.