Arthur Villeneuve facts for kids

Arthur Villeneuve, CM (January 4, 1910 – May 24, 1990) was a famous Canadian painter from Quebec. He was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec and passed away in Montreal, Quebec. Villeneuve is well-known for his unique style and for turning his own house into a giant artwork! He was even made a member of the Order of Canada, which is a big honor in Canada.

Arthur Villeneuve's Early Life

Arthur Villeneuve grew up in a working-class family in Chicoutimi. His father worked as a mason and bricklayer. Arthur had several brothers who also had different jobs, like a blacksmith or a train engineer.

Arthur left school when he was 14 years old. He first worked at a paper mill. Later, he took a winter job in a camp, but he didn't enjoy it much. When he was 16, he found a career he liked: he became a barber's helper.

By the time he was 19, Arthur had saved enough money to buy his own barber shop in Chicoutimi. His business did very well, and he even bought some rental properties. He later sold these to buy a restaurant, but he still worked long hours at his barber shop.

In 1944, a sad event changed things for Arthur. His first wife, Simone Bouchard, passed away. He also lost his properties. After this, he became a barber at a hospital in Chicoutimi. He later remarried a woman named Hélène Morin. Arthur had seven children in total, four with Simone and three with Hélène. In 1950, the Villeneuve family moved into their house at 669 rue Taché in Chicoutimi.

The Famous House of Arthur Villeneuve

When Arthur Villeneuve was in his second marriage, he started trying out different art forms. He experimented with drawing, making collages, and even creating sculptures from sheet metal. Some of his early sculptures included a detailed clock, a ship, and a lighthouse. These images later became important themes in his paintings.

But his most famous early artwork is the house he bought at 669 rue Taché. He covered almost every part of this house, both inside and out, with his first paintings!

Arthur said he suddenly felt a strong need to become an artist in 1946. This important moment happened during a Sunday church service. The priest read a letter from Pope Pius XII that encouraged people to use their talents fully. Arthur believed he hadn't used his artistic talent yet. So, he went home and started developing his gift.

In April 1957, Arthur began painting large pictures, called frescoes, on the outside of his house. Even though he was still working as a barber, he spent about 100 hours a week painting. For 23 months, he painted the front, back, all the inside walls, ceilings, and even the windows of his house!

In 1959, his house officially opened as an art display called the "Musée de l'artiste" (Artist's Museum). A film about him, called Villeneuve, peintre-barbier (Villeneuve, Painter-Barber), was made in 1964 by the National Film Board. This film helped many people learn about Arthur Villeneuve and his amazing house project.

Because Arthur taught himself art and didn't have contact with other painters, his art is often called "naive art" or "outsider art." These terms describe art made by people who haven't had formal training. However, the museum in Chicoutimi, "La Pulperie," has a permanent exhibit of his work called Far from Naive!, showing how important his art is.

Since 1993, the Canadian government has recognized Arthur's house as a national heritage site. It holds a special place in the history of 20th-century Quebec art. In 1994, the house was carefully moved inside Building 21 at the Chicoutimi museum, "La Pulperie." You can still see the house and Arthur's paintings there today.

What Inspired Arthur's Frescoes?

Arthur Villeneuve shared what inspired his paintings, especially the frescoes on his house. Here are some of the things that influenced his work:

• The Saguenay River and its smaller rivers, along with the nature around them.
• The strong presence of the Catholic Church in Quebec life.
• Important moments from French-Canadian history.
• Popular stories and legends from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.
• His "sus-conscient" – this was Arthur's own way of saying "subconscious," meaning ideas from deep in his mind.
• "La Continuance" – a new word Arthur made up to describe ongoing life and traditions.
• Surrealism, an art style that uses dream-like images.

Arthur Villeneuve's Other Artworks

After 1950, Arthur Villeneuve focused only on painting. In 1972, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts held a big show of his work called Arthur Villeneuve's Quebec chronicles. By 1978, he had painted 2,800 canvases. Experts believe he created about 3,000 paintings in his lifetime.

His paintings varied in size, from very small to his favorite size of 30 by 40 inches. Some were even larger. In 1978, a 30x40 inch painting might have sold for around $50 (Canadian dollars). Today, similar works often sell for thousands of dollars!

Arthur Villeneuve's art is now part of many public collections. You can find his works in important places like the National Gallery of Canada and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (which has seven of his paintings).

Jean-Louis Gagnon Art Collection

In 2016, the Maison Arthur-Villeneuve (Arthur Villeneuve House) acquired a large collection of his art from Jean-Louis Gagnon. This collection included 200 works by Arthur Villeneuve. It was the most important purchase of his art since the museum acquired his house itself.