Launch of an exhibition on popular artist Léonard Lapierre dit Léo
Gaspé, October 28, 2021 – The public is invited to the public launch of the temporary exhibition
Cher Léo at the Musée de la Gaspésie, in Gaspé, on Saturday, October 30, 2021 from 9 a.m. to noon. As places are limited, prior registration is required.
A legendary figure in Gaspé folk art, Léonard Lapierre dit Léo (1928-2014) was born in Gaspé. Endowed with an unlimited imagination and driven by the idea of giving objects a second life, he draws inspiration from his immediate environment to create. After a first work designed at the age of 16, he produced hundreds of creations from recovered materials and objects: sea wood, tin cans, keys, buttons, etc. Exploring various mediums, his works include sculptures in the round (three dimensions) and assembled driftwood, creations in recycled metal, glass mosaic and papier-mâché, as well as musical instruments.
Attached to each of his works, Léo Lapierre has always refused to part with them. However, after his death, in order to honor his artistic work, his family made the generous donation of a hundred of his pieces to the Musée de la Gaspésie.
A remarkable artist
A well-known character, but also very modest, Léo Lapierre was the subject of national television reports and he was invited to several schools in the region in the 1970s and 1980s to present his works. The children were particularly amazed by his instruments, which he could play simultaneously with impressive agility while interpreting a traditional repertoire of his own. The director of the Museum, Martin Roussy, is also one of the little spectators who met him at the Saint-Rosaire school in Gaspé in the 1970s. “He was a character larger than life. He marked my imagination with his instruments, he remembers. He fascinated children and the general public. His way of teaching us was unique; a fun and simple approach. »
Léo Lapierre made himself known as far away as Ontario. "Through his nephew's wife who lived there, he went to Toronto schools with his works," explains the Museum's curator, Vicky Boulay. After his visit, the students were invited to write to him. Excerpts from their letters, which very often begin with “Dear Leo”, provide the common thread of the exhibition. »
Recuperated materials in the spotlight
Cher Léo is divided into different areas devoted to creations in wood, the one-man band and works created from eclectic materials and objects. Like Léo Lapierre's studio, which the curator was able to visit after the artist's death, the Museum wanted to create a heaping effect. "We made an effort, like Leo, to recover the equipment we had here, such as pallets and lamps," said
Ms. Boulay. Milk crates, cathode ray screens, chairs and school blackboard are also among the objects reused as part of the exhibition, whose atmosphere is reminiscent of the 1980s. “There is a lot of humanity in this exhibition. It's very
low tech because of the era, but also because of the man,” underlines Mr. Roussy.
Presented until 2023 at the Museum, the exhibition was designed to travel to Gaspésie, like Léo Lapierre. Dates and locations will be announced later.
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Information :
Martin Roussy, General Manager
direction@museedelagaspesie.ca
418 368-1534, ext. 105
museumofagaspesie.ca
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