Marc Martel
Marc Martel was born in Lévis in 1933. He lived most of his life in the Quebec City area, until his death in 2016. Sculptor with an inventive spirit, "father" of a multitude of birds made of patinated bronze, his work is characterized by symbolism and has a rich, original and communicative dynamic.
Marc Martel - Birds of… Happiness! (1933-2016)
Marc Martel was born in Lévis in 1933. His childhood and adolescence were in Buckingham before settling in the Quebec City area until his death in 2016.
Training and career
An Arts graduate of Laval University with a B.A. in the Fine Arts from the Université du Québec in Trois-Rivières, Marc Martel began sculpting in the early 1970s, while pursuing a career as a teacher. He refined his art through a number of internships in Canada, the United States and Europe. Sculpting in concrete, bronze and ceramic, the sculptor went through all the steps that will showcase his work. A prolific artist, Marc Martel took part in 25 exhibitions, including 13 solo exhibitions, and was the subject of a retrospective in 2001. His sculptures are exhibited in several Canadian galleries, and his works form part of many collections belonging to businesses.
Work and art
Drawer, painter, engraver and jeweller, Marc Martel was a versatile artist who established his name with sculpture. His work, marked by symbolism, has a rich, diverse, original and communicative dynamic. Through his imposing sandstone or concrete murals, his terracotta busts or small dimension bronze pieces, Marc Martel has a talent for conveying the essential. He bases his approach on a noble and sole philosophy: the desire to make sculpture “ accessible without being
easy, that speaks to people, awakens their senses and carries them forward. "
For the past two decades of his life, the sculptor turned his creative energies towards birds made of patinated bronze. Since 1993, the artist has made more than a thousand drawings in a small sketchbook, from which he developed 240 models produced in a limited run of only eight pieces. These pieces, which rarely exceed 30 centimetres, inspire joy and happiness, while their skilful contours attest to the sculptor’s mastery of his art. The sculptures are named for descriptive characteristics, which effectively breathes life into each bird. You will enjoy getting to know méditatif, bedonnant, somnolent, jongleur and bollé. These are very expressive winged creatures. These are birds of… happiness that elicit a smile from all who gaze upon them.
Marc Martel is represented by the Au P'tit Bonheur Art Gallery since 1993.
