Marcel Braitstein was born in Belgium and moved to Canada in 1951. After graduating from the École des beaux-arts de Montréal (1953-1959), he continued his studies in Mexico and in Europe. In 1959, he won the Concours artistique de la Province de Québec. A professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal from 1969 to 1998, Braitstein was also director of the school’s visual arts department from 1986 to 1991. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the author of several publications: Enfant traqué, enfant caché (1995; translated as Five to Ten: Story of a Hidden Child), Les Mystères de l’île de Saber (1998), Saber dans la jungle de l’Antarctique (2000) and Nocturnes (2003), an artist’s book of poems and photographs. Centred on representations of anthropomorphic or animal-like figures, Braitstein’s sculptural work is endowed with universal significance, reflecting upon the human condition through themes such as death, destruction and war. Oiseau sur colonne is an undeniable example of this approach; with its outstretched wings and gaping beak turned toward its prey, it evokes the violence of a world without pity.
SEE:
« Sculpture for Everyone » by Serge Fisette, ESPACE #67, p. 5.