The painting Rétine nationale (1966) testifies to a key moment in Marcel Barbeau’s career. While in New York, where he lived from 1964 to 1968, Barbeau joined the art network that was then in vogue there and gained international recognition. After a first solo exhibition at the East Hampton Gallery, which represented him from 1965 to 1970, the positive criticism of the time associated his latest production with the Op Art (or optical art) movement, then in full swing in the United States. Barbeau would in fact become a pioneer of the movement in Canada. Taking part in many Op Art exhibitions in the United States, he stood out from his contemporaries for his more intuitive and visceral approach, despite the “ordered appearance” of the paintings. Perceptual duality lies at the heart of his work, sustained by particularly bright linear and chromatic patterns.
A painter, sculptor, photographer, and performance artist, Marcel Barbeau enjoyed a prolific interdisciplinary career. During his lifetime, he was often cited for the innovative aspect of the radical art forms that he favoured, for the exemplary nature of his work, and for his independent spirit. A student of Borduas, Barbeau signed the Refus Global manifesto in 1948 and joined Les Automatistes; he distanced himself from the group several years later, remaining true to his convictions on his constant pictorial quest. He became interested in Abstract Expressionism, including its hard-edge variant, and then in kinetic art, for which he is recognized as a Canadian pioneer. He received many awards throughout his career, including, most recently, the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts and the Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas, in 2013.
