Adrien Hébert

1890-1967

Adrien Hébert was born in Paris, France. He was the son of noted Canadian sculptor, Louis Philippe Hébert. Though his family travelled between France and Montreal often, it was in France that he had his formal schooling, while his father was working on the bronze castings of historical monuments. When he was a young boy, Hébert started carving various subjects from pieces of wood, notably horses, boats and engines. In 1904, he was back in Canada and started his studies at Council of Arts and Manufactures at the Monument National in Montreal. There he studied art under Joseph St. Charles, Edmond Dyonnet, Joseph Franchère and Jobson Paradis. He then continued his studies at the Art Association of Montreal under William Brymner from 1907 to 1911. At this time, Hébert wasn’t sure he wanted to be a painter. At the age of 21, he went back to Paris with his father and enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Hébert then discovered the works of Monet and Sisley and other impressionists and painting took on a new meaning for him. He began working in earnest and made many visits to museums in Paris, although he never abandoned his interest in ships, boats, locomotives and busy city streets.

Hébert returned to Montreal in 1914 and took up work as a teacher at Conseil des Arts et Manufactures. Two years later, Hébert had his first show at the Bibliothèque Saint-Sulpice along with his sculptor brother, Henri Hébert. Starting in 1917, Hébert started giving classes in drawing for the Montreal Academic Commission, a position he held until 1954. Still in 1917, he took possession of a studio in Montreal that was used many years before by well-known Canadian painter Napoléon Bourassa. In 1919, he had a second exhibition at the Cercle Universitaire in Montreal. In 1922, Hébert went back to Paris where he started experimenting with engravings. The following year, he visited many exhibitions, including the Salon des Indépendants, Salon d’Automne and the Musée du Jeu de Paume. He came back to Canada with about forty canvases, twenty-eight of which were exhibited at the Bibliothèque Saint-Sulpice in Montreal soon after his arrival.

Starting in 1924, Hébert began to turn his attentions to old Montreal and the port, and from then on those scenes became some of his favourite subjects. In 1931, he exhibited his works in Paris and received good reviews from the art critics. That same year, he exhibited paintings and drawings at the Arts Club of Montreal and following the show, the City of Montreal ordered a historical scene for the decoration of the Chalet du Mont-Royal. In 1932, Hébert was made an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy. He exhibited at Eaton’s in Montreal in 1934, and in 1936 he won the Jessie Dow Prize at the Spring Exhibition of the Art Association of Montreal. That same year he also exhibited at the Watson Art Galleries and got many good reviews in various newspapers.

In 1937, he was named Vice-President of the Arts Club of Montreal and the following year, he was made President. In 1939, the National Gallery of Canada acquired a canvas that was exhibited the year before at the Tate Gallery in London, England, and it was also that year that he became a member of the Montreal Pen and Pencil Club. In 1940, he was awarded his second Jessie Dow Prize at the Spring Exhibition of the Art Association of Montreal and one year later, he was made a full member of the Royal Canadian Academy.

During the Second World War the Port of Montreal was placed on the “restricted areas” list and Hébert turned his attentions to Canadian Pacific Railway’s Angus Shops, where he painted the locomotives undergoing repairs. Afterwards, some of those canvases were exhibited at Windsor Station in 1944. That same year, he also exhibited with Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Edwin Holgate and Henri Hébert at the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec.

In 1949, Hébert and Robert Pilot exhibited their work jointly at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the show was well received. In 1950, Hébert moved to his brother Henri’s studio, which was built by their father, Louis-Philippe Hébert. From 1950 to 1952, Hébert made visits to his nephew in the Saguenay region and took the opportunity to paint in the Chicoutimi area. In 1953, he was awarded his third Jessie Dow Prize at the Art Association of Montreal’s Spring Exhibition. In 1954, after leaving his job as an art teacher, Hébert travelled to France and to the French-African countries were he painted many works that were exhibited upon his return to Montreal in 1955. The following year, he exhibited approximately fifty works at the Hélène-de-Champlain restaurant at Île St. Hélène under the sponsorship of the City of Montreal.

In 1960, Hébert was named Senior Academician at the Royal Canadian Academy. Two years later, he was made an Honorary Member at the Arts Club of Montreal. Finally, he exhibited at the Exposition des Lauréats du Salon du Printemps de 1908 à 1965 held at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 1967. Adrien Hébert died two months later in Montreal at the age of 77. Other than his regular work in painting, Hébert also participated to the illustration of many books and pamphlets throughout his career. Furthermore, he published articles on various art-related topics in magazines. Other than his regular participation at the annual shows of the Art Association of Montreal, the Royal Canadian Academy and the exhibitions mentioned above, he also exhibited in many venues in Canada (Vancouver, Toronto, Kingston, Halifax, Hamilton, Ottawa), the United States (New York) and abroad (Paris, Rio de Janeiro).  Following his death, the City of Montreal offered a painting from Adrien Hébert to Général Charles De Gaulle during his visit for Expo ’67. In 1971, the National Gallery of Canada organised a retrospective that was also shown at Concordia University, Montreal, The Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Centennial Art Gallery, Halifax, The Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. In 1993, the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec held another retrospective show of his work.

Collections:

- National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Montreal, QC)
- Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (Quebec City, QC)
- Musée d’Art de Joliette (Joliette, QC)
- Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal (Montreal, QC)
- Musée de la Civilisation (Quebec City, QC)
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke, QC)
- Musée de Nîmes (Nîmes, France)
- Musée Le Havre (Le Havre, France)
- Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
- Art Gallery of Hamilton (Hamilton, ON)
- Edmonton Art Gallery (Edmonton, AB)
- The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa, ON)
- McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Kleinburg, ON)
- Musée de Lachine (Lachine, QC)
- Musée Laurier (Victoriaville, QC)
- Musée Louis-Hémon (Péribonka, QC)
- Musée Marguerite Bourgeoys (Montreal, QC)
- Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa, ON)
- Musée des Hospitalières de L’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (Montreal, QC)
- Musée des Ursulines de Trois-Rivières (Trois-Rivières, QC)
- Musée du Château Ramezay (Montreal, QC)
- La Pulperie de Chicoutimi (Chicoutimi, QC)
- Concordia University (Montreal, QC)
- Université de Montréal (Montreal, QC)
- Power Corporation of Canada (Montreal, QC)

Affiliations:

- Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy (1932)
- Pen and Pencil Club (1939)
- Royal Canadian Academy (1941)
- Senior Academician of the Royal Canadian Academy (1960)
- Arts Club of Montreal (1962)