The Foundation houses a collection representing the various seasons of Guido Molinari’s production. Recognized as one of the most important colourists in contemporary Canadian art, he produced a prolific body of work fueled by his keen understanding of colour. His library attests to the breadth of his knowledge of colour history and the perceptual effects resulting from colour interactions. Certain colours recur throughout the artist’s body of work, notably yellow, red, and blue.
In homage to the great colourist Molinari and his body of work, which drew on his deep knowledge of colour, the Foundation is developing the Jardin des couleurs, a research laboratory focused on pigments from dye plants. Following an initial experimental season in 2025, the Jardin des couleurs will take root more firmly in 2026.
This project implements the Foundation’s sustainable development policy, applied across the board to fulfill the site’s mandate and honour its history, while taking into account current challenges facing the art world.
The pigments from the Jardin des couleurs will be transformed into ink, watercolours, pastels, and other eco-friendly materials used for the Foundation’s educational programs and exhibition signage. For this first batch of pigments, marigolds (tagetes patula), zinnias, calendulas, rudbeckias, coreopsis, and indigo have been planted and will be harvested gradually throughout the season.
This project is being carried out in collaboration with Concordia University’s FOFA Gallery. The Foundation thanks Joé Côté-Rancourt, Josh Jensen, and Clara-Jane Rioux Fiset, as well as Stéphanie Nuckle, for getting their hands dirty with us.
This project received financial support through the Programme de partenariat territorial de Montréal.
