The Collection over the years
THE COLLECTION LOTO-QUÉBEC FROM 1979 TO 2015
The Collection Loto-Québec was created in 1979 on the initiative of Michel Labrosse, then director of public affairs. The art enthusiast wanted to invest in Québec’s artistic creativity. The very first work he commissioned, Le fantôme de Blanche de Beaumont, is a 1979 etching by Louis Pelletier, who would eventually become the Collection’s curator.
Over the years and thanks to Michel Labrosse’s support, Louis Pelletier added to the collection, the founding principle of which was to democratize visual arts and culture. Loto-Québec organized print contests between 1980 and 2003 to select the works the Collection now contains, using also the criteria set out in the Collection’s acquisition policy established in 1985.
The Collection’s goal has always been to support art and make it accessible to all the corporation’s employees. In fact, Louis Pelletier used to invite certain employees to various acquisition committee meetings to select some of the works. The works thus selected then decorated the walls of Loto-Québec’s head office and of its subsidiaries.
It was crucial for the corporation that employees get to know the Collection and make it their own. As part of an in-house work of art sponsorship program, anyone who joined Loto-Québec was invited to choose one or two works to brighten up their work space.
Louis Pelletier traveled all across Québec, brought together artists and created exhibitions. But, most of all, he steered the Collection Loto-Québec toward the unique personality it still has today. It now contains nearly 5,000 works by Québec artists.
From 1979 to 1990
1979
Loto-Québec entered the field of visual arts and organized a province-wide print contest. This contest would become an annual event and the cornerstone of the corporation's art collection. The Collection Loto-Québec was born.
1985
The Collection's acquisitions program was established. The corporation set aside 0.01% of its revenue to acquire works and added approximately 200 pieces to the Collection every year.
1987
The Collection launched an exhibition program to promote selected works across the province.
1989
The Collection's annual print contest was awarded the prize for best external public relations program by the Société des relationnistes du Québec (now called the Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publiques). The Collection Loto-Québec was recognized as a leader in visual art promotion both in Québec and abroad.
1990
The Collection, in cooperation with Loto-Québec's Human Resources department, developed the corporation's Retiree Sculpture Contest. Its very first awards went to artists Dominique Valade and Charles Daudelin.
From 1991 to 2000
1991
A gallery opened at the corporation’s head office to enable Montréal residents to appreciate the works in a permanent exhibition space.
Loto-Québec became the headquarters of the Corporate Art Collectors Association, an association grouping some 30 Québec corporations and businesses.
The Collection acquired its 500th work of art.
1994
The Collection’s sales-exhibition program was created. The corporation regularly sponsored events organized by regional museums and exhibition centres to not only diversify its regional acquisitions but also spotlight artists from every part of the province.
1995
The Collection continued growing and added its 1,000th work: An art print by Montréal artist Betty Goodwin.
2000
In April, the Collection acquired its 2,000th piece, Prolifération exubérante, a carved wood and acrylic work by young artist Yves Boucher.
From 2001 to 2010
2003
Renowned artist Guido Molinari’s acrylic painting became the Collection’s 3,000th work of art.
2005
At the corporation’s head office, the gallery, which had opened in 1991, became Espace Création, a space dedicated to Québec creativity in all its forms. In doing so, the corporation renewed and consolidated its commitment to contemporary artistic creativity.
2007
The Collection Loto-Québec acquired a major work by Jean Paul Riopelle, L’hommage à Rosa Luxemburg, on permanent display at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.
2008
The Collection acquired its 4,000th work of art, Reflet bleu, an acrylic and varnish on wood, by Rock Lamothe.
2009
The Collection Loto-Québec celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Loto-Québec organized a major tour of its collection. Nomade, la Collection Loto-Québec en mouvement makes stopped across the province.
2010
The Diane Dufresne et Richard Langevin, Mur à Mur exhibition welcomes over 10,000 visitors to Espace Création.
From 2011 to 2015
2011
The Collection Loto-Québec became one of two official presenters of the Québec Triennial 2011 and the main partner of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal for a period of five years.
2012
The Collection Loto-Québec partnered with the Musée de la civilisation de Québec for three years and presented the Hommage aux grands créateurs series. L’Univers de Michel Tremblay is the first exhibition shown as part of this partnership.
In December, Espace Création welcomed its 100,000th visitor during the Serge Lemoyne exhibition.
2013
The Collection Loto-Québec continued its partnership with the Musée de la civilisation de Québec and presented a free exhibition of Pierre Gauvreau’s works outside the walls.
Espace Création closed its doors.
2014-2015
In celebration of its 35th anniversary in 2014, the Collection found a new way of reaching a wider audience across Québec. The L’art de partager program was presented in 7 regions of Québec and ended its run in December 2015.