Peter Gnass
Fontaine
1984
© Peter Gnass, 2007
Crédit photo: sans auteur, sans date
Presentation of the artwork
The artwork is situated in Square Viger, in the centre of the block bordered by Viger, Saint-André, Saint-Antoine, and Saint-Hubert streets. At first, it was integrated into a children’s park designed by the artist, consisting of a sculptural and environmental arrangement composed of various pieces of play equipment.The fountain is a grouping of 34 stainless-steel rods holding chromed bronze nozzles. The 478-cm-tall rods are set at regular intervals around a concrete pool. The distribution of the rods in the space is related to the artist’s work at the time, which implemented plays on perspective.
Associated events
The artwork was commissioned by the government of Québec in conjunction with development of the Ville-Marie Expressway. Commissions for two other blocks of Square were given to artists Charles Daudelin and Claude Théberge.
Peter Gnass
German-born Peter Gnass attended the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts and the École des beaux-arts de Montréal, then studied etching under Dumouchel. In 1970, he presented the solo exhibition Topolog at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He has exhibited in Canada and abroad and has produced many works of public art. In 1967, he created a bronze mural for the lobby of Théâtre Maisonneuve; in 1978, a stainless-steel mural for the LaSalle métro station. His solo exhibition Couper/Coller (2004) toured the Galerie de l’UQAM and the Musée régional de Rimouski. In 2010, his exhibition Progression et projections was at galerie [sas].
Awards and honours
- 3e prix de gravure, concours artistique de la Province de Québec, 1965
- Membre de l'Académie Royale du Canada, 1976
