However brief his career, François Houdé established himself as a master of glass art, producing an internationally recognized body of work and defying conventional notions of glass aesthetics with his unprecedented techniques. His Ming, Pygmalion, Épaves and Vases brisés series have been featured in a number of national and international exhibitions, including at Montreal’s Galerie Elena Lee/Verre d’Art, the Concordia University Art Gallery and, in 1986, the Morin Miller Gallery in New York. In collaboration with Ronald Labelle, Houdé founded the Centre des métiers du verre du Québec (Espace Verre), Quebec’s first research and professional training centre devoted to promoting glass art. A retrospective of his work, entitled François Houdé – Mémoire vive, was organized in 2012 at the Centre Materia in Quebec City. In 1996, the Prix François-Houdé was created by the City of Montreal in partnership with the Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec to recognize excellence in the work of emerging Montreal artisans.
SEE:
« Jeux de glaces » by Francine Du Bois, ESPACE, vol. 5 #3, p. 30.
« Prix François-Houdé 2005 » by Carole Charette, ESPACE #75, p. 43.
