Jean-Paul Mousseau was a Quebec artist. He was a student of Paul-Émile Borduas and a member of the Automatist school. He was a founding member of the Association on Non-Figurative Artists of Montreal. He designed murals for the Hydro-Québec building and the Peel Metro station in Montreal.
Early career
Jean-Paul Mousseau studied painting at the age of thirteen while at the College Notre-Dame in Montreal under Frère Jérome. He became a student of Paul-Emile Borduas at the Ecole du Meuble, Montreal. He was a member of the group of painters known as the Automatistes. In 1948, he was one of the signatories of the Refus global manifesto. At the end of the 1950s he was one of the first Quebec artists who saw the necessity of integrating art into the urban environment. His most important contributions are original murals and other collaborations with architects.
Jean-Paul Mousseau did artwork in the Montreal metro. He clashed with the metro's first art director, Robert Lapalme, who insisted that metro art be figurative, represent Montreal history, and be sponsored. Mousseau wished to open the doors to non-figurative art integrated into the architecture and accounted for in the construction budget. Lapalme held sway over the initial network, except for two works. Mousseau took over as art director after LaPalme, and his influence marked all the rest of the network, which includes works of non-figurative art integrated with the architecture. Most of the artwork was planned in accordance with the architects, and many were by the architects themselves. Works by Mousseau in the metro include the mural Opus 74 at Viau station, two murals at Honoré-Beaugrand, and a mural at Square-Victoria. He also created some sculptural lighting elements in the concert-hall of the Orford Arts Centre, in collaboration with the designer Léonard Garneau, who was in charge of the interior design of the centre. His work is integral to Montreal's airport and several of its skyscrapers. A major work is a mural in the Hydro-Québec building in Montreal.
1954: "La matière Chante", Galerie Antoine, Montreal Biennial Exhibition of Canadian painting, National Art Gallery, Ottawa; "Young painters of Canada" in Belgium
1955: Winnipeg Art Show ; "Espace 55", Museum of Fine Art, Montreal; Galerie l'Actuelle, Montreal
1956: Galerie l'Actuelle, with Riopelle, Borduas, Sam Francis, McEwen, and others
1957: Exhibition of the Association of Non-Figuratives Artists of Montreal
