Melvin Charney facts for kids
Melvin Charney (born August 28, 1935 – died September 17, 2012) was a talented Canadian artist and architect. An architect designs buildings, while an artist creates sculptures, paintings, and other artworks. Charney was special because he did both, often mixing ideas from architecture into his art.
Early Life and Education
Melvin Charney grew up in The Plateau, a neighbourhood in Montreal. His family worked hard. His mother, Fanny, came from a country now called Belarus and worked in a factory. His father, Hyman, was from Poland. He sold paint and was also a skilled woodworker. He even made special doors for churches and synagogues.
Melvin's father loved art, and this inspired young Melvin. From a young age, Melvin took art classes on Saturdays at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. As he got older, his family moved to a nicer area near Outremont.
Melvin went on to study architecture at two famous universities: McGill University in Montreal and Yale University in the United States. After finishing his studies, he worked in big cities like Paris and New York. In 1964, he came back to Montreal. There, he started his own architecture business and began teaching at the Université de Montréal.
Moving Towards Public Art
Melvin Charney became very interested in public art. This is art that is made for everyone to see in public spaces, like parks or city squares. It's different from art you see in a museum.
In 1970, he designed a special building for Expo 70, a big world fair. His design was unique, using construction cranes and scaffolding. Even though his design wasn't chosen, it showed his new focus on public art instead of just designing regular buildings.
One of his most famous art projects was called Corrid’art. This exhibit showed pictures of old buildings that were torn down to make way for big events like Expo 67 and the Montreal Olympic Games. The mayor at the time, Jean Drapeau, did not like this exhibit. He ordered it to be taken down, which caused a lot of discussion.
Famous Artworks
After that time, Charney created many important public artworks in Montreal. Two well-known ones are:
- The sculpture garden at the Canadian Centre for Architecture. This garden is a beautiful space with sculptures that invite people to think about architecture and nature.
- The sculpture called Skyscraper, Waterfall, Brooks — A Construction at Place Émilie-Gamelin. This artwork combines ideas of tall buildings, flowing water, and small streams.
These artworks were built after Mayor Drapeau had left office.
Awards and Recognition
Melvin Charney received several important awards for his work.
- In 2003, he was named a Chevalier (which means Knight) of the Ordre national du Québec. This is a high honour given by the government of Quebec for outstanding achievements.
- In 2006, the government of France recognized him. He was named a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to culture and art.
Melvin Charney was married to a writer named Ann Charney.
