January 29, 1924 - November 19, 2001

Marcelle Ferron (GOQ, RCA) was a Quebec based painter, stained glass artist, and member of the Automatiste movement. She was a signatory of the group’s 1948 manifesto, Refus Global, which would change the face of the Canadian arts scene.

Born in Louiseville, Quebec in 1924, Ferron would begin her art studies at the École des beaux-arts de Québec. She would later drop of of the school, citing dissatisfaction with her instructor’s traditional and academic approach to art. Ferron would move to Paris in 1953, where she would spend the next 13 years drawing, painting, and learning stained glass. She returned to Quebec in 1966 where she would focus her practice on stained glass for the next two decades.

Ferron represented Canada at the 6th São Paulo Art Biennial in 1961 and won the silver medal, making her the first Québécoise artist to receive recognition on such an international scale. She was the recipient of the Paul-Émile-Borduas prize for the visual arts in 1983, was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1985, and was promoted to Grand Officer in 2000. She also was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and her work is held in public collections throughout North America and Europe.

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