Jean Paul Lemieux was born in Quebec City, Quebec. He is particularly recognized for his paintings of the desolate, seemingly infinite spaces of the landscapes and cites of Quebec. Many of his works are permeated with an intense feeling of mystery.
Lemieux studied at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal from 1926-29. After graduation he spent a year in Paris, where he met Clarence Gagnon. He returned to the École des beaux-arts de Montréal from 1931-35 to obtain a teaching diploma. In 1935 he taught at the École du meuble, then moved to the École des beaux-arts in Québec in 1937, remaining there until 1967. Lemieux then moved to Île-aux-Coudres, Quebec, where he spent the rest of his life.
Jean Paul Lemieux has received numerous honours throughout his career including the Louis-Philippe Hébert Prize; the Molson Prize for the Canada Council; the Order of Canada and the National Order of Quebec. He was honoured by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts by a major retrospective exhibition in 1967. Subsequent tribute exhibitions were organized by the Musée du Québec and the National Gallery of Canada. Lemieux's work can be found in important public and private collections including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Museum London, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Musée du Québec.
Lemieux died in Quebec City, in 1990, at the age of 86. Following his death, he was made member of l'Académie des Grands Québécois (1990) and Grand Officer of the National Order of Québec (1997). Furthermore, retrospective exhibitions were held at the Musée National des beaux-arts du Québec in 1992, 2004 and 2007, and at the National Gallery of Canada in 2004.
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