André Pitre

BIOGRAPHY: 

ANDRÉ PITRE was born in the Gaspesie region of Quebec in 1965. He moved to Montreal in 1984 to complete his university education. After working as a Professional architect for several years, he decided to devote himself full-time to his art. His paintings can be found in prominent public and private collections in Canada and abroad. André Pitre lives and works in Montreal.

EDUCATION
Certificate in Art, Université de Montréal, 1993
Certificate in Sculpture, Université du Québec à Montréal, 1991
Bachelor of Architecture, Université de Montréal, 1988

SOLO SHOWS
Résonance des équilibres, Thompson Landry Gallery, Toronto, 2020
Intervalles, Galerie Michel Bigué, St-Sauveur, 2017
The color of things, Thompson Landry Gallery, Toronto, 2016
Récits, Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 2015
Recent work, Galerie d’art Vincent, Ottawa, 2014
New work, Roberts Gallery, Toronto, 2013
Habiter la mer (Seaside Life), Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 2013
Habiter la mer (Seaside Life), Musée le Chafaud, Percé, Québec, 2013
Vent de l’ouest (Wind from the West), Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 2011
De passage (Passing By), Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 2009
Intérieur (Interior), Galerie d’art Vincent, Ottawa, 2008
Rencontre (Encounter), Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 2005
Lieux communs (Commonplace), Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 2003
L’antichambre (Antichamber), Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 2003
De mémoire d’homme (In Living Memory), Galerie d’art Vincent, Ottawa, 1999
Froissements (Friction), Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 1998
Galerie Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 1996
Galerie d’art Bougainville, Montréal, 1996
Transfiguration, Maison de la culture Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montréal, 1995

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Loto-Québec, Montréal
Caisses populaires Desjardins, Montréal
KPMG, Montréal
Mausoleum L’Espoir, Le repos Saint-François d’Assise, Montréal
Mausoleum La Sainte Famille, Le repos Saint-François d’Assise, Montréal
Mausoleum La Résurrection, Le repos Saint-François d’Assise, Montréal
Mausoleum Padre-Pio, Le repos Saint-François d’Assise, Montréal
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery : Administrative pavilion and chapels , Montréal
Centre funéraire Côte-des-Neiges, Montréal

PUBLICATIONS
André Pitre 2020. ISBN 9782981685711, Archives nationales du Québec, 2020
Évocations : 2014-2017. ISBN 9782981685704, Archives nationales du Québec, 2017
Robert Bernier. André Pitre La couleur des choses, Magazine Parcours, printemps 2016
Robert Bernier. Actualités culturelles, Magazine Parcours, printemps 2015
La mer toujours recommencée, Vie des Arts, été 2013
Robert Bernier. André Pitre, Habiter le temps, Magazine Parcours, printemps 2013
Robert Bernier. André Pitre / Vent de l’ouest, Magazine Parcours, octobre 2011
Robert Bernier. André Pitre, Peindre sa mesure, Magazine Parcours, printemps 2009
« de passage ». ISBN 9782981122506, Archives nationales du Québec, 2009
Intérieur. ISBN 9782923557182, Archives nationales du Québec, 2008.
André Pitre, poèmes de Marcel Dubé, Édition Art Global, 2005. ISBN 2920718967, Archives nationales du Québec.
Robert Bernier. Exposition Art de vivre, André Pitre, Magazine Parcours, printemps 2005
Robert Bernier. André Pitre, Antichambre, Cahier Parcours, printemps 2002
La peinture au Québec depuis les années 1960, Robert Bernier, Montréal, Les Éditions de l’Homme, 2002.
De mémoire d’homme, 1999. ISBN 2921585367, Archives nationales du Québec.
Robert Bernier. Beauté tragique, Magazine Parcours, printemps 1998
André Pitre à la galerie Clarence Gagnon, Magazin’Art, printemps 1998
Catherine Guex, André Pitre, Magazin’Art, printemps 1996
Anne Marie Léger. Transfiguration, Les Maisons de la culture de la Ville de Montréal, avril 1995

artistic approach: 

For many years, the act of painting has been the focal point of my daily life. Every day in my studio, from one canvas to the next, the desire to create is always present as I approach a blank surface. That’s not to say the process isn’t filled with doubt and the sometimes painful reality of having to start over again. The remnants of past works inevitably forge the ones that follow. No effort is ever truly lost. And time should never be a consideration.

There are many ways of making an unpainted surface your own. Sometimes a few lines sketched in charcoal are enough to evoke a theme or ignite the spark of an idea. Colour then comes into play – spontaneous, unrestricted, often by way of a painting knife. It helps breathe life into the subject. Colour is a “form” in and of itself. The challenge is to strike a balance between the hand and the mind, between free-flowing movement and control. Other times, the subject imposes itself from the start, shaped by the contours of the brush. Every painting is built in stages and becomes more and more refined with each layer, a sequence of victories and retreats.

A parallel has been established between the history of mine and my interpretation of great odyssey: they are voyages of discovery and new frontiers, of sacrifice and hope. It is over their flesh that colour has crept in…