Artmulaire, which in French could also be translated as “art moves the era”… Could the artist’s name be any more evocative?... Bernard Mulaire was one of the key actors in the emergence of modernity in Franco-Manitoban artists. Hosted by the Centre du Patrimoine, the Artmulaire exhibition presents the pivotal works from the Fonds Bernard Mulaire collection of the St. Boniface Historical Society archives. Close to one hundred works by Mulaire and his friends follow the artist’s trajectory, tracing the socio-historical context in which he lived and worked — the cultural and artistic effervescence of the 60s and 70s—while highlighting the importance of the collective aspect in the cultural development of Franco-Manitoban society at that time.

The exhibition also explores the development of the cultural identity of Franco-Manitoban artists during the great social upheavals of the 1960s. Mulaire’s works are accompanied by those of Franco-Manitoban artists Suzanne Gauthier, Pauline Morier, J.R. Léveillé and Roger Boulet, his friends and fellow exhibitors over the years. A number of anglophone artists underscore the significant collective commitment of the times, as seen in the paintings of Wanda Koop, Sheila Butler, Brad Caslor and Janus Napiwocki.

Bernard Mulaire was born in 1945 in St. Pierre Jolys. After receiving his diploma from St. Boniface College and a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba, he enrolled in the Tyler School of Art at Temple University (Philadelphia) in 1971. This took him to Rome as part of the International Studies program and subsequently led to studies in art history. In the 1970s, Mulaire works were regularly featured at various exhibition venues in Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto and Rome, and his works are part of several private and public Canadian collections.

Artmulaire will be shown in the galleries of the Centre du Patrimoine and the Centre culturel franco-manitobain, 340 Provencher Boulevard, from December 1, 2010 to February 13, 2011. The opening reception was held on December 1 at 7:00 p.m. The artist’s presence at the opening was sponsored by the Winnipeg Arts Council and the Centre culturel franco-manitobain.