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LoginAncient Art (until 1899)
The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec’s ancient art collection is a true treasure trove, the only one of its kind in Canada. Explore our extensive collection of ancient art and see what makes us the reference in Québec art.
Did you know that the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec is the only Canadian art museum whose primary mission is to make known, promote, and preserve Québec art from all periods? We currently have the largest collection of ancient Québec art. It covers three centuries of the province’s artistic history, from the early days of New France to 1900.
Nearly a third of the art in our permanent collection—almost 10,000 works—falls into this category. Of these, 9,000 are from Québec and Canada.
Our ancient art collection currently consists mostly of works by Québec artists, dating largely from the 18th and 19th centuries. Get to know some of the most influential works and masterpieces of Québec art.
Where can you find Canada’s largest collection of religious art and ancient sculpture? In Québec City, within our walls. Do the names Leblond de Latour, Levasseur, Jourdain dit Labrosse, Liébert, Baillairgé, Côté, Hébert, and Jobin sound familiar? These artists have created some remarkable pieces! Take the time to discover the great names that have shaped our history over the centuries.
And then, of course, there are the paintings. Come revel in the works of Brother Luc, Loir, Baillairgé, Malepart de Beaucourt, Dulongpré, Berczy, Légaré, Roy-Audy, Plamondon, Hamel, Krieghoff, Vincent, Bourassa, Edson, Alexander, Huot, Brymner, Suzor-Coté, and Leduc.
Our collection is also home to thousands of old photographs, including daguerreotypes and ambrotypes dating back to the earliest days of photography. Enjoy easy access to photos from all the famous photographers and old studios, like Lemire, Livernois, Henderson, Notman, and Vallée, to name but a few.
We also have an extensive collection of drawings and prints to enjoy. If you aren’t already familiar with British topographic painters Short, Fisher, Heriot, Forrest, and Cockburn, and those of miniaturist Fassio, this is a wonderful opportunity to discover them. If you love the decorative arts, you’ll be thrilled by our extensive collection of furniture, jewelry, and pieces by gold- and silversmiths like Delezenne, Ranvoyzé, Amiot, Marion, Sasseville, and more.
Our museum’s collection of ancient art from abroad will also captivate you. On display are ancient Greek ceramics and European paintings and sculptures from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, including a remarkable painting by Turner with a surprising title.
Happy exploring!
In the spotlight
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Paysage au monument à Wolfe
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Saint Augustin
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L'Incendie du quartier Saint-Jean à Québec, vu vers l'ouest
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La Maison de campagne du capitaine John Walker, près de Québec
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Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry, fils
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L'Incrédulité de saint Thomas
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Saint Michel terrassant le dragon
Curator
Daniel Drouin
Daniel Drouin studied art history (M.A. 1992) at Université Laval under John R. Porter. In January 1995, at the request of the Musée du Québec, he began a major six-year research project to document the life and work of sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert. The exhibition Louis-Philippe Hébert, 1850–1917. National Sculptor was shown at the Musée du Québec (Québec City) and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa) in 2001–2002. The catalogue published under his direction won a Canadian Museums Association Award of Outstanding Achievement in the Research category and the Prix Maxime-Raymond from the Fondation Lionel-Groulx, awarded by the Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française.
In May 2002, Mr. Drouin became Curator of Ancient Art. From 2005 to 2020, he was also responsible for the Inuit art collection.
Over the past 30 years, he has acquired several thousand works of art, written dozens of articles and scientific works, given numerous lectures, sat on various committees, and worked on the production and coordination of over 30 national and international exhibitions, both temporary and permanent, including Millet to Matisse (2004); Brousseau Inuit Art Collection (2006–2013); The Baroque World of Fernando Botero (2007); From Cranach to Monet (2007); The Taking of Quebec (2009), American Art (2009); From El Greco to Dalí (2010); Fine Arts in New France (2012–2013); Jean Paul Lemieux. Silence and Space. (2014–2022); Illipunga. Inuit Art. The Brousseau Collection. (since 2016); The Fabulous Destiny of the Paintings of the Abbés Desjardins (2017–2018), which was also presented at the Musée des beaux-arts de Rennes in France; 350 Years of Artistic Practices in Québec (since 2018); and Manasie Akpaliapik. Inuit Universe. (2021–2023).
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