June 9, 2022 / Tom

LEON BELLEFLEUR – “PREMIER GELS”

Leon Bellefleur was born and educated in Montreal and by the age of 10 had set his career sites on that of an artist.  Although mainly self-taught, he was influenced by many prominent artists, especially Alfred Pellan in the 1930’s and 40’s.  He exhibited with fellow abstract artists of the time and developed his own train of thought and after leaving teaching in 1954, he studied engraving and lithography in Paris.

Paris was an important influential centre for Bellefleur.  The recognition he received culminated in his representing Canada at the Guggenheim International at the Guggenheim Museum New York in 1960.  This landmark honour was shared with the other Canadian artists Paul-Emile Borduas, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Harold Town and Edmund Alleyn.

He returned to Montreal in 1965 and was further honoured by the National Gallery of Canada with a retrospective of his life’s work in 1968.