A warm welcome to CIMAM to Jean-François Bélisle!
"The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) has in its mission to lead conversations internationally around and through Canadian art. It therefore desires to play a bigger role in important international groups such as CIMAM. The ongoing strategic plan of the Gallery places overdue emphasis on the inclusion of diversified voices and position them at the very chore of everything it does. In this context, as the Director and CEO of the NGC, I wish to collaborate with, engage in meaningful discussions and learn from other CIMAM members. The Gallery is at the very beginning of a reflection on how to build more environmentally sound projects across the country. I am hoping to be able to benefit from other CIMAM members’ work in that regard. Overall, I wish to engage positively and constructively with other galleries from around the globe in everything that it does, and I believe CIMAM is a great way of doing this".
Jean-François Bélisle, Director and CEO, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
"As the only national art museum in the country, the National Gallery of Canada's mandate is to build and promote a collection that benefits all Canadians. We want all Canadians to have a sense of belonging to the Gallery. From art lovers to scholars and from the young to the young at heart – no matter where they’re from.
Notably, we are making our collection more accessible to people in all provinces and territories through our National Engagement initiatives, Learning & Community Engagement programming and upcoming digital strategy. In addition, we are committed to building more inclusive art spaces for all. This includes, the Indigenous Ways and Decolonization department at the Gallery, transforming our structures, systems, policies and processes".
About Jean-François
Jean-François Bélisle became Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada in July 2023. He was previously the Executive Director and Chief-Curator of the Musée d’art de Joliette (MAJ), one of Canada’s most important regional museums with a permanent collection that spans 5000 years of visual art history.
In addition to holding nationally and internationally acclaimed contemporary art exhibitions, the MAJ also creates innovative learning and community-based programmes. Under his leadership, the MAJ significantly expanded its presence, role, and profile in Canada and abroad, with particular attention to the inclusion of diversified cultural voices. At the core of his directorship is the objective of creating a welcoming forum, both physical and virtual, where art can contribute to the construction of tomorrow’s world through art-informed reflections and discussions open to all.
Before joining the MAJ, Bélisle had been the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Arsenal Contemporary Art, a private art foundation with venues in Montreal, Toronto and New York dedicated to helping contemporary Canadian artists reach a wider audience nationally and internationally. Prior to Arsenal, he was the Executive Director of the Association des galeries d’art contemporain (AGAC), a not-for-profit organization that represents leading commercial Canadian art galleries and that is active in expanding the Canadian art market. During his tenure, he developed various national initiatives such as Papier (now Plural), Canada’s second largest art fair. Prior to directing AGAC, he held various positions in museums, art publications, international NGOs, auction houses, galleries and universities in eight countries. He has organized over a hundred highly acclaimed art exhibitions and projects in Canada, the USA, Europe and Asia. He holds a BA and MA in art history from Concordia University.
Mr. Bélisle is Vice-President of the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization; Vice-president of the Collectif d’éditeurs d’art contemporain; member of the scientific committee of the Fondation Grantham pour l’art et l’environnement and a past-president of the Momenta biennale. He also regularly participates in fine arts juries for provincial and national awards.
About CIMAM
CIMAM – International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art – is an Affiliated Organization of ICOM.* Founded in 1962, CIMAM’s vision is a world where the contribution of museums, collections, and archives of modern and contemporary art to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of society is recognized and respected.
Join today, and take part in our network with over 800 contemporary art museum professionals from over 80 countries.
Thank you, Jean-François Bélisle, for becoming a member of CIMAM!