Montreal’s Fairmont Queen Elizabeth unveils art collection

Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, MASSIVart Collection and Sid Lee Architecture, have unveil the hotel’s new permanent art collection. Displayed on 21 floors, the collection combines 123 works by 37 renowned contemporary artists from Québec and Canada, including Michel de Broin, Patrick Coutu, Nicolas Grenier and Geneviève Cadieux.

“We are proud of this project where each participant shares our objective of promoting artists from Montréal, Québec and Canada. We are convinced that they bring an important element of value creation and new clientele. Our expertise allowed us to bring new life into the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth brand by creating a unique artistic experience”, assured Arthur Gaillard, director and co-founder of MASSIVart Collection.

In the wake of major transformation work done to the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth by its owner Ivanhoé Cambridge, MASSIVart Collection was given the mandate to create an art collection for the hotel that would showcase emerging local artists.

The selection was made in collaboration with the art curator Marie-Justine Snider, from the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Ivanhoé Cambridge and Sid Lee Architecture. The art collection is an integral part of the mythic suite 1742, which hosted John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s bed-in and establishes the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth as a pioneer in Canadian art among hotels.

“As owners and property managers, Ivanhoé Cambridge cares about the user experience in their properties”, states Marie-Justine Snider, curator for the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Ivanhoé Cambridge. “Art enlivens spaces and fuels an exchange of ideas, while creating a sense of community. Investing in art is a way of making a tangible contribution to Québec’s cultural heritage and our city’s identity.”

A large part of the artwork is exhibited in the public areas of the hotel. Because of this initiative, the hotel is now an artistic destination of choice in Montreal and will attract art amateurs, tourists and general public alike. Sculptures, paintings, photography and drawings, a multitude of disciplines are showcased in this collection that will surprise amateurs as well as initiates.