Refus global

ARTICLE CONTENTS:  |  Suggested Reading  |  Links to Other Sites
Refus global was a manifesto, the principal essay of which was written by the painter Paul-Émile BORDUAS and signed by 15 members of the AUTOMATISTES Group. It included texts by Bruno Cormier (later a psychoanalyst), poet Claude GAUVREAU, painter Fernand LEDUC and Françoise SULLIVAN (then a dancer) and illustrations of works by members of the group. It was launched at the Librairie Tranquille in Montréal on 9 August 1948.

Refus global not only challenged the traditional values of Québec ("To hell with the holy-water-sprinkler and the tuque!") but also fostered an opening-up of Québec society to international thought. The manifesto advocated a strong need for liberation, if not "resplendent anarchy," and anticipated the coming of a "new collective hope."

That was enough to cause the authorities to have Borduas removed from his post at the École du meuble, where he had been teaching since 1937. The Québec press echoed the sentiments of the government and largely censured the manifesto. From the date of Refus global's publication to January 1949, more than 100 hundred newspaper or magazine articles were published condemning the manifesto.

Read the text of the Refus global manifesto.

Trees in the Night
Trees in the Night
Oil on canvas, 1943, by Paul-Émile Borduas (courtesy National Gallery of Canada/Musée des Beaux-Arts du Canada, Ottawa).
Clear Point of View
Clear Point of View
Oil on paperboard, 1944, by Pierre Gauvreau (courtesy National Gallery of Canada/Musée des Beaux-Arts du Canada, Ottawa).

Author FRANÇOIS-MARC GAGNON


Suggested Reading
François-M. Gagnon and Dennis Young, Paul-Émile Borduas. Écrits/Writings 1942-1958 (1978).


Links to Other Sites
Jean-Paul Riopelle
A profile of abstract painter and sculptor Jean-Paul Riopelle. Also includes images of his works of art. From the National Gallery of Canada.

Le Refus global: Revolution in the Arts
A multimedia CBC feature about the impact of "Le Refus global" on Québec society and culture.

Fernand Leduc
View a biography and works of art by painter Fernand Leduc, recipient of the 2007 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.

Paul-Émile Borduas
A biography of Paul-Émile Borduas, Groupe Automatiste leader and principal author of the Refus globalmanifesto. From the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.

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