CURATOR'S CORNER

The Liliane and David M. Stewart Pavilion displays the MMFA's monumental modern and contemporary decorative arts and design collection. To start, what can visitors expect when entering the new installation? 

Visitors will encounter approximately 800 carefully selected objects spanning centuries of creative achievement. The installation presents a dynamic conversation between historical masterpieces and contemporary works, unified by design as both cultural expression and functional innovation.

The main floor explores design as expression—revealing cultural identity and artistic vision. The upper-level showcases design's functional dimension, where form meets purpose. Dale Chihuly's luminous glass Sun sculpture and the striking cantilever wall create anchoring elements that unite these narratives, with modernist furniture appearing to defy gravity.

Rachel Gotlieb. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière.

The MMFA's collection has been a favourite in the decorative arts and design community for many years. In your opinion, what makes the redesign unmissable even for those who have visited in the past?

This reinstallation completely reimagines the collection through twelve distinct thematic exhibitions revealing unexpected connections. We've created galleries devoted to figuration, abstraction, historicism, transportation design, wellness objects, and material innovations, plus a comprehensive chronological timeline from the fourteenth century to today.

Many works are displayed for the first time in decades, including Michael Cardew's monumental figured wine jug, Samoan bark cloth, and Jordi Bonnet's brutalist ceramic fire surround. The new silver gallery showcases Senator Serge Joyal's generous gift of European and Canadian silver.

Gilles Beaugrand (1906-2005), Coffee Pot, late 1930s, silver. MMFA, gift of the Honourable Serge Joyal, P.C., C.C., O.Q. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest.

The decorative arts and design collection at the MMFA is extensive—including furniture, glass, silverware, textiles, ceramics, and more. Can you give us some hints about the MMFA's recent acquisitions that will be unveiled for the first time this fall?

Recent acquisitions represent contemporary expansion and diverse voices. Caroline Monnet's Amik chair takes pride of place in our Bentwood & Moulded Plywood section. Woody De Othello's Treading Water joins the figuration display. The exquisitely painted Sèvres Cabaret de Femmes—a five-piece 1814 breakfast set by Jean Georget depicting women artists—is not to be missed.

Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (founded in 1756), decoration painted by Jean Georget (1763-1823), Breakfast Service (Cabaret) called "Famous Women" (teapot), about 1814. MMFA, purchase, Suzanne Caouette Bequest. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière

Can you walk us through the major steps involved in putting together this kind of large-scale re-installation? What were some of the joys and difficulties for you?

Selecting from 24,000 objects proved both thrilling and overwhelming. As someone who embraces maximalism, every choice felt significant. We prioritized spectacular anchor pieces while developing coherent intellectual frameworks around design as cultural expression versus function and innovation.

Working with our exceptional in-house design team, everything was meticulously modeled using 3D software. The physical reality brought fascinating dialogues between visionaries like Christopher Dresser, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Zaha Hadid—all exploring the tension between solid and void.

Joseph Armand Bombardier (1907-1964), Motoneige Ski-Doo (modèle J61), 1958 (exemplaire de 1961), éditée par L’Auto-Neige Bombardier ltée, Valcourt (Québec). MBAM, collection Liliane et David M. Stewart, don de Mme Claire Bombardier Beaudoin

Are there any collaborations that came about from this project that enriched the curatorial process for you?

This project embodied collaborative vision. I worked with an advisory committee of curators, designers, and academics. Silver expert Florian Doux provided metalwork insights, while Quebec craft historian Bruno Andrus helped contextualize regional design and craft.

Our most meaningful partnership involves a qajaq created by Inuit students carrying forward ancestral practices. Through Nunavik Sivunitsavut, this piece represents millennia of circumpolar tradition while showcasing contemporary cultural continuity. This collaboration reminds us that design encompasses entire cultural systems of innovation and community connection.

Charles Eames (1907-1978), Ray Eames (1912-1988), Storage Unit (model ESU 421-C), about 1949, produced by Herman Miller Furniture Company, Zeeland, Michigan. MMFA, Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, gift of the Council for Canadian American Relations through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Tannenbaum, by exchange. Photo MMFA, Denis Farley.

If you had to pick one object in the collection that you connected with the most, what would it be?

Asking a curator to choose a favorite is like asking a parent to select their preferred child—impossible! However, Scottish silversmith Robert Hendery's Victoria Skating Club trophy with skate blade handles and cast beaver perfectly expresses emerging Canadian identity. Sarah Bernhardt's self-portrait inkwell reveals the legendary actress's talents as designer and sculptor, creating a surreal sphinx-like figure that embodies how decorative arts serve as vehicles for personal expression.

These objects demonstrate why the MMFA collection has earned international recognition—each tells multiple stories about creativity, cultural identity, and human aspiration.

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The reinstallation of the Liliane and David M. Steward Pavilion is a feast for the eyes, with each object carefully selected for the unique stories it tells.