Les Printemps du MAC, presented by National Bank came roaring back last Friday at the Auberge Saint-Gabriel. Tickets sold out in record time, and more than 800 guests gathered for this celebration of contemporary art! The 14th edition of this benefit gala, themed Hasard Bazar, was a huge success, raising over $100,000 in support of the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC).

It was a great privilege for the Fondation du MAC and the Printemps Committee to have the invaluable support of Julie Snyder as Honorary Chair. Thanks to her contagious passion, she helped to raise the profile of the MAC throughout her community and did so much more as well! 

Hasard Bazar: A unique and surreal experience

Les Printemps du MAC events are known for being spectacular and festive, with an ultra-hip and trendy crowd celebrating freedom of expression and inclusiveness in style and genre, and this year's edition lived up to that reputation. The guests at Hasard Bazar were sporting looks both glam and surrealistic featuring diamonds, sequins, masks, hairstyles of every colour and extravagant makeup. Julie Snyder herself was wearing a fabulous Schiaparelli necklace.

With Francis Guindon (Quartz Co. and Want Les Essentiels) and Lysandre Laferrière (Magil Construction) sharing co-chair duties, Nikolaos Lerakis (Duvernois) providing artistic direction, and Allison Forbes (Raisonnables) taking care of production and event management, the participants had a fantastic time! This immersive event offered guests some unforgettable experiences, including the MAC's creative workshop inspired by the Mika Rottenberg exhibition; a flower-bedecked makeup touch-up station by Lancôme, the event's official beauty partner; and a magnificent, dreamlike photo booth presented by National Bank. The guests were plunged into phantasmagorical settings where hallucination blended with reality in spaces like Purgatory, the Atlantis Room and the Room of Dreams. Characters brought to life by performers from the Sanctuary Project playfully created surprise and mystery within the crowd, and handed out enigmatic maps that kept participants moving through the various areas of the Auberge. Along with a variety of restaurant and bar stations, guests could enjoy dancing to the sounds of DJs Mélodie Wronski, Julie Anne, The Neighbors, Guillaume Michaud and Kiari, not to mention hearing an opera performance by Pierre Heault. 

The evening's auction, presented by BLG, was a brilliant success and brought in over $45,000. There were 34 lots up for bids, including works by twenty Canadian artists. Attendees at the event were treated to a display of works by Frances Adair Mckenzie, Club de dessin Montréal, Lan Florence Yee, Dan Climan, Mati Contal, Mara Eagle, Berirouche Feddal, Maryse Goudreau, Paul Hardy, Xavier Harper, Clara Jorisch, Laurent Lévesque, Alexandra Levasseur, Samuel Pasquier, Alexandre Pépin, Simon Petepiece, Julie Roch Cuerrier, Édith Sévigny-Martel, Mégane Voghell, Tess Roby. A full 30% of the proceeds from the art auction will go to support the artists. For the third year, the auction was curated by Erika Del Vecchio (Pierre François Ouellette Art contemporain).

"In barely three months, the organizing committee managed to put together the most festive, whimsical and artistic event I have ever had the good fortune to attend. From Ariane Moffatt to Catherine Brunet, not to mention Antoine Pilon, textile artist Annie Legault, exhibition curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot, young lawyers, financial advisors, entrepreneurs and freelancers from all backgrounds, all these people were sharing a love of contemporary art. The Printemps du MAC gala, under the theme Hasard Bazar, was like surrealism meets anticonformism! People could express and affirm themselves through the creativity and modernity of their look. This is a unique event, and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal is lucky to be able to rely on a young organizing committee that is so invested.'' – Julie Snyder, Honorary Chair.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Hasard Bazar is one of the events that will go down in the Museum's history. The guests, who threw themselves wholeheartedly into the theme and dress code, experienced an eccentric and theatrical night that featured performances, activations, and top-tier culinary experiences. By the end of the night, the word on everyone's lips was "memorable." Thank you to the Organizing Committee, to our Honorary Chair, to the generous sponsors, the artists, the performers, and to the participants for making the 14th Printemps du MAC possible. I am extremely proud to have co-chaired the best event of the year.'' – Francis Guindon, event Co-Chair.

"What a success! Although the Printemps du MAC volunteer committee had envisioned Hasard Bazar since 2019, it was only in the last three months that a date was finally set for the event and we were able to tackle the organization (a sprint!) of this soirée, virtually from scratch. Many thanks to all of our partners and sponsors who agreed to participate on such short notice, as well as to Julie Snyder, who embarked on the adventure by solely trusting us. This evening was a dream that we will remember for a very long time!" – Lysandre Laferrière, event Co-Chair.

Les Printemps du MAC

Created in 2006, Les Printemps du MAC takes shape each year under the management of the Printemps du MAC Organizing Committee, a group of young philanthropists with a passion for contemporary art who shoulder the work of organizing a unique event with real added value for the guests, and of raising the MAC's profile for the benefit of the Fondation du Musée d'art contemporain. Born out of a desire to make younger generations more aware of contemporary art and of the MAC's essential role in conserving and exhibiting this legacy at the provincial, national and international levels, this event makes a direct contribution to the MAC's development since all proceeds from the gala flow to the Fondation du MAC. 

Co-Chairs of the event were Francis Guindon (Quartz Co. and Want Les Essentiels) and Lysandre Laferrière (Magil Construction). The Fondation du MAC extends its warmest thanks them, and to the other members of the Organizing Committee: 

Shady Ahmad (Budge Studio), Ariane Bisaillon (Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP), Virginie Bourgeois (Intact Lab), Alexe Corbeil-Courchesne (Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP), Erika Del Vecchio (Pierre François Ouellette art contemporain), Allison Forbes (Raisonnables), David Gagnon (Power Sustainable), Olivier Lapierre (Public Relations and Press Relations), Charles LeMay (Productions J), Nikolaos Lerakis (Duvernois), Emma Molson (Sotheby's Art Institute), Marion Isabelle Muszyñski (Electronic Arts), Amélie Elizabeth Pelly (Association des radiologistes du Québec), Jessica Rosen (L'Oréal Paris) and Stéfanie Stergiotis (Linen Chest)

Acknowledgements

The Fondation du Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal is profoundly grateful to Julie Snyder, who generously agreed to be the Honorary Chair, and to our partners in this event: in particular, National Bank, presenting partner of Les Printemps and major sponsor of the Foundation's events. As well, the Foundation would like to thank its sponsors: Printemps - Bombardier, HSBC, Lancôme, Equinox - BLG, Deloitte, Pur Vodka, romeo's gin, Sélection Fréchette and Solstice - Blakes, OPI x Élégenza. Thanks also to our VIP participants: National Bank, Blakes, Gowling WLG, Groupe Proaction, LCM Attorneys, Magil Construction, MoFAT Management, Charlotte-May Mondoux-Fournier, and Productions J. The Foundation is also grateful to all of its in-kind sponsors for their invaluable support.