From the groundbreaking Solomon R. Guggenheim museum in New York City to the revolutionary Mucem Museum in Marseilles, combining art with architecture makes for an electrifying experience. This spring, Montreal and Quebec City are delighting museum visitors and art fans alike with stunning new pavilions and extraordinary exhibits.
MONTREAL
To mark Montreal’s 375th anniversary, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has 
opened The Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavillon for Peace. The glass walls on each of the six floors of architectural excellence allow visitors to experience an amazing view of the city and its famous mountain. Behind the Victorian facade lies a structure that varies in appearance based on changes in daylight. At night, the art galleries’ soft light penetrates through the lacework of the building, rendering the warm wood framework and the natural heritage of the complex visible to all.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has opened a portal into the life of Marc Chagall, an artist whose art demonstrates a profound connection 
to music. Featuring over 300 pieces, this multidisciplinary exhibition is the first in Canada that links music into Chagall’s colorful world. Through his easel paintings, murals, book illustrations, collections of lithographs, costumes for the stage, sculptures, ceramics, stained glass and mosaics, visitors get a chronological picture of the artist’s culturally diverse life. From his years in in Russia, his Parisian period, his time in New York and in Mexico and his life in the South of France, Chagall’s art embodies the splendor of this traversal experience.
QUEBEC CITY
The Quebec Museum of National Art is celebrating the
opening of its fourth art complex. Shedding light onto contemporary art, the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion defines the border between the city life of Quebec and the historic and painteresque landscape of the Plains of Abraham. Devoted to Quebec art, this new complex provides additional space for the continuously growing design and contemporary collections. This pavilion is as much a work of art as the collections themselves. Built on the edge of the city, this pavilion is a gateway into the beautiful park of the Plains of Abraham. Placed beside an old church, the modern and contemporary architectural design draws attention to the new versus old culture of the city. At the heart of this architectural design is a majestic spiral staircase allowing visitors to view the park through the glass facade.
This year, the Quebec Museum of National Art will be hosting the eighth edition of the Manif D’art – Quebec City Biennial, where numerous international artists and well known Canadians gather to promote innovation and creativity through their artwork. This year’s theme is the art of joy and was chosen by Alexia Fabre, director at the Musée D’art Contemporain du Val-De-Marne. This theme explores joy beyond its simple notions, as the richness of its artistic expressions in light of current societal trends.
This spring, take the time to visit these architectural sites and discover the transcending experience projected through the beauty of art.
“Museums are places where Time is transformed into Space” ― Orhan Pamuk
