Marc-Aurèle (de Foy) Suzor-Côté became an apprentice decorator for churches and religious institutions in 1887. He headed to Paris in 1891 to study at the École des beaux-arts and in the studio of Léon Bonnat. He also attended the Académie Colarossi and met sculptor Auguste Rodin. In 1894, he returned to Quebec for three years before leaving once more for Paris, training at the Académie Julian where he won first prize in composition and in representation of the human form. He later presented his work at the 1900 Exposition Universelle de Paris and was elected as an Officer of the Académie de France in 1901. He returned to Quebec that same year, but would continue to travel regularly between Canada, France and the United States. In addition to painting, he also produced many bronze sculptures, recognized today for their originality as well as for how well they depict the rigorous efforts and bravery of settlers. Among these works are Le vieux pionnier canadien (1912), Le portage (1922), Femmes de Caughnawaga (1924), Le halage du bois (1925) and Maria Chapdelaine (1925). Over the years, Suzor-Côté exhibited his work in Ontario, Quebec and Paris. In 1927, after suffering a stroke that prevented him from working, he moved to Florida where he gradually returned to drawing, painting and sculpture. Upon its inauguration in 1933, the Musée des beaux-arts du Québec dedicated a gallery to his work. The following year, he was the subject of a major exhibition at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal.
SUZOR-CÔTÉ, Marc Aurèle (1869-1937)
