Claude Vermette

Claude Vermette R.C.A. is a Canadian ceramist and painter who was born in Montreal, Quebec, August 10, 1930 and who died in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, April 21, 2006. Artist of international reputation, he made important contributions to the ceramic arts in Canada, especially in the field of architectural ceramics of which he is considered a pioneer.

As a ceramist who worked in the architectural field, Claude Vermette is a pioneer in Québec and in Canada with regards to this type of artistic expression. The bursts of colours of his ceramics, the warmth of their hues and the play of their textures brought a human dimension in architectural spaces that were often grey and frigid. In his paintings as well as in his prints and watercolours, Claude Vermette pursued this bold approach while constantly renewing and expanding the possibilities of colour and light.

A native of Montreal, Claude Vermette studied art under the guidance of Brother Jerome, c.s.c. at Notre-Dame College while also attending the Collège Saint-Laurent and the college of the Clercs de Saint-Viateur for his academic studies. Through his contact with Brother Jerome, he met Paul-Émile Borduas and joined the Automatiste group of emerging artists. He was considered too young by Borduas to sign the 1948 "Refus Global" (Global denial), but he was present at the launch of this manifesto, which was destined to become famous in Québec’s contemporary history. Drawing, painting and ceramics were then his main modes of expression.

His first exhibitions in 1948, 1950 and 1952 caused him to be noticed by art critics who praised his talent and perceived the promise a bright future. In 1952, his interest in ceramics expanded during a study tour in Europe and especially in Italy where he met the architect Gio Ponti, a major player in the rebirth of modern Italian design and founder of the magazine Domus and the sculptor-ceramist Fausto Melotti. Another decisive encounter is that of the Finnish architect, Alvar Aalto.

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