Before he turned forty in 1962, Jean Paul Riopelle had already exhibited his works several times in Paris, Philadelphia, London, and New York, as well as in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, and Australia. This showcase on the international scene has earned him several exhibition catalogues while the artist’s growing popularity increased studies on his eclectic practice and numerous influences. Here is an overview of the abundant documentation on Riopelle’s work, from his first exhibitions to the latest books devoted to him.
Key Exhibitions
1946
April 20–29, Painting Exhibition (Exposition de peinture), 1257 Amherst Street, Montreal.
1947
Summer, Surrealism (Surréalisme en 1947), 6th International Exhibition of Surrealism, Galerie Maeght, Paris. André Breton and Marcel Duchamp, curators. Catalogue.
1951
March 8–31, Confronted Vehemences (Véhémences confrontées), Galerie Nina Dausset, Paris. Michel Tapié, curator. Catalogue.
1953-
1954
December 2, 1953 to February 21, 1954, Younger European Painters: A Selection, Guggenheim Museum, New York. Travelling exhibition: Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, Dallas, Fayetteville, and Dayton. Catalogue.
1967
Summer, Riopelle 67, Musée du Québec, Quebec City. Guy Viau, curator. Catalogue.
1972
June 15–October 12, Strings and Other Games (Ficelles et autres jeux), Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris, and Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris. Catalogue.
1981-
1982
September 1981–November 1981, Jean Paul Riopelle. Painting 1946–1977 (Jean Paul Riopelle. Peinture 1946-1977), National Museum of Modern Art, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; and December 1981–January 1982, Musée du Québec, Quebec City. Travelling exhibition: Mexico, Caracas, and Montreal. Catalogue.
1996
Spring, Tribute to Rosa Luxemburg (Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg), Musée du Québec, Quebec City. Catalogue.
2002
June 20–September 22, Riopelle, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Catalogue.
2018-
2019
October 12, 2018 to April 22, 2019, Mitchell/Riopelle, Nothing in Moderation (Mitchell/Riopelle, un couple dans la démesure), Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City. Travelling exhibition: Toronto and Landerneau. Michel Martin, curator. Catalogue.
2020
June 6–September 20, The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures (Riopelle: à la rencontre des territoires nordiques et des cultures autochtones), Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Catalogue.
Selected Critical Writings
Acquavella Galleries. Riopelle: Grands Formats. New York: Acquavella Galleries, 2009. Exhibition catalogue.
Bernier, Robert, ed. Jean-Paul Riopelle: des visions d’Amérique, Montreal: Éditions de l’Homme, 1997.
Billy, Hélène De. Riopelle. Biographies series. Montreal: Art Global, 1996.
Corbeil, Marie-Claude, Kate Helwig, and Jennifer Poulin. Jean Paul Riopelle: the Artist’s Materials. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute, 2011.
Érouart, Gilbert. Entretiens avec Jean-Paul Riopelle; followed by Fernand Séguin rencontre Jean-Paul Riopelle, De vive-voix series. Montreal: Édition Liber, 1993.
Gagnon, Daniel. Riopelle grandeur nature. Approches 2 series. Montreal: Fides, 1988.
Gagnon, François-Marc. “En mémoire de Jean-Paul Riopelle 1923–2002: Riopelle, Heidegger et les animaux.” Annales d’histoire de l’art canadien / Journal of Canadian Art History 23, no. 1–2 (January 2002): 90–107.
———. Riopelle au Musée du Québec: l’Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg. Quebec City: Musée du Québec, 2000. Exhibition catalogue.
Lapointe, Gilles. “Filiations et ruptures au sein de l’automatisme : la correspondance Borduas-Riopelle.” Études françaises 34, no. 2–3 (automne-hiver 1998): 193–216.
Lassaigne, Jacques, Noël Lajoie, and Pierre Schneider. Riopelle: Ficelles et autres jeux. Paris: Canadian Cultural Centre, 1972. Exhibition catalogue.
Martin, Michel. Mitchell Riopelle: Nothing in Moderation = un couple dans la démesure. Quebec City: Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, 2017–2018. Exhibition catalogue.
Riopelle, Yseult, ed. Catalogue raisonné de Jean Paul Riopelle. Vol. 1: 1939–1953. Montreal: Hibou Éditeurs, 1999.
———. Catalogue raisonné de Jean Paul Riopelle. Vol. 2: 1954–1952. Moudon, Switzerland, and Montreal: Acatos Éditeurs and Hibou Éditeurs, 2004.
———. Riopelle. Les migrations du bestiaire: une retrospective. Montreal: Éditions Ketoupa, 2014.
Riopelle, Yseult and Tanguy Riopelle, eds. Catalogue raisonné de Jean Paul Riopelle, Vol. 3: 1960–1965. Montreal: Hibou Éditeurs, 2009.
———. Catalogue raisonné de Jean Paul Riopelle. Vol. 4: 1966 –1971. Montreal: Hibou Éditeurs, 2014.
Robert, Guy. Riopelle chasseur d’images. Montreal: France-Amérique, 1981.
Schneider, Pierre and Georges Duthuit, eds. Jean-Paul Riopelle: peinture 1946-1977. Paris and Quebec City: Centre Georges Pompidou and Musée du Québec, 1981.
Sioui Durand, Guy. Jean-Paul Riopelle: l’art d’un trappeur supérieur: indianite. Sainte-Foy, Quebec: Éditions GID, 2003.
Sweeney, James Johnson. Younger European Painters. New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1954. Exhibition catalogue.
Viau, René. Jean-Paul Riopelle. Quebec City: Musée du Québec, 2003.
Vigneault, Louise. Espace artistique et modèle pionnier: Tom Thomson et Jean-Paul Riopelle. Montreal: Éditions Hurtubise, 2011.
Film and Video about the Artist
Feaver, Marianne, and Pierre Letarte. Riopelle. Ottawa: National Film Board of Canada, 1982, 54 min.
Further Readings and Online Resources
Collective. Refus global, s.l. Montreal: Éditions Mithra-Mythe, 1948.
Collective. Rupture inaugurale. Paris: Éditions surréalistes, June 1947.
Riopelle, Yseult. Le catalogue raisonné de Jean Paul Riopelle. Online, https://riopelle.ca/.
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Acknowledgements