Claude Tousignant studied at the École du Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (1948-1951) and at the Académie Ranson in Paris (1952-1953). Upon his return to Quebec, he discovered the work of the Plasticiens and adopted their use of geometric shapes and pure colours; he became part of the group’s second generation along with Guido Molinari and eventually Jean Goguen and Denis Juneau. While best known for three series of paintings – Transformateurs chromatiques, Gongs and Accélérateurs chromatiques – he has occasionally produced monumental, abstract, monochrome installations that mirror his painting style. Examples of these include Hommage à Barnett Newman (1967-1968) and Modulateur de lumière (2005).
SEE:
« Claude Tousignant : The Chromatic Space of the Painted Object » by James D. Campbell, ESPACE #32, p. 6.
« Claude Tousignant and Sculpture » by Paulette Gagnon, ESPACE #86, p. 19.
