Yves Trudeau

Trudeau, Yves

Yves Trudeau, sculptor (b at Montréal 3 Dec 1930). He studied at the École des beaux-arts in Montréal. Moving from stylized bronze spiral figures in the late 1950s, Trudeau's "iron and wood" creations of the 1960s became highly charged with symbolism. Sometimes anthropomorphic, sometimes of organic shapes, the works in this series demonstrate his progressive abandonment of figurative representation (L'homme-révolté, 1961). In the geometrical and abstract series "Murs fermés et ouverts" of the 1970s, compositions circumscribe space: wooden triangles appear on an uninterrupted surface, broken by a bend or a straight line, sometimes by a flat curve. These works, painted white to capture light and shadow, sometimes contain social or political graffiti. In 1984 a large sculpture symbolizing a ship under full sail was installed in Gaspé to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's landing.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Trudeau's sculptural works became smaller in scale but monumental in form, showing his interest in the exploration of space in relation to organic and geometric shapes. Throughout his career, he has exhibited in Europe, the United States and in Canada, and has been very active in promoting the art of sculpture. As such, he was a founder of what is now known as the Conseil de la Sculpture du Quebec. His works are shown in numerous Canadian museums. The artist lives in Montréal.