The History of Street Poster Art in Montreal
Baudoin Wart, a key player in the history of street postering in Montreal. Photo from 1990.
Urban display for the exhibition Mémoire de l’avenir 2024, by AUM. Photo: Noah L'Abbée
Street postering in Montreal has evolved to become an essential component of the city's cultural identity. This transformation is largely attributable to initiatives such as Publicité Sauvage and Art Urbain Montréal, which have played a crucial role in promoting and structuring Montreal's public art scene. In a context where public space is increasingly coveted for advertising purposes, street postering remains a powerful means of expression, somewhere between art, memory and visual communication.
The beginnings of street postering and the contribution of Publicité Sauvage
Before the 1980s, street poster art in Montreal was mainly informal and unregulated, often used by art collectives and activist movements to express themselves in public spaces. This is also how Baudoin Wart, president of Art Urbain Montréal's board of directors, got his start. This anarchic practice reflected a desire to appropriate the city as a canvas for expression, through spontaneous initiatives, despite the absence of a legal framework. The practice remained illegal, punishable by fines and other sanctions, including heavy-handed police intervention. It was against this backdrop that Wart founded Publicité Sauvage in 1987, with the aim of creating a legal platform for the display of cultural events, thereby offering greater visibility to the city's artists and cultural organizations, which had been very low-profile prior to this period. He was a key player in the legalization of street posters in Montreal, recognized in 1994. This initiative helped structure and professionalize street postering, while respecting Montreal's urban aesthetic.
Art Urbain Montréal's mission
Art Urbain Montréal (AUM) is part of this dynamic, with a clear mission: to encourage, promote, enhance and disseminate creation, culture, contemporary visual arts and graphic arts in the urban environment. Through various projects, AUM strives to bring together individuals and companies interested in promoting urban art in all its forms, by organizing activities and initiatives aimed at beautifying the city and raising public awareness of contemporary visual and graphic arts.
Preserving graphic heritage at BAnQ
Street poster from the mid-19th century. Source.
Alongside these initiatives, the preservation of street posters has become a priority for institutions such as the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). With a collection of over 40,000 works, the BAnQ holds the largest public collection of posters from or about Quebec, spanning from the mid-19th century to the present day. This collection illustrates the evolution of visual culture and is an essential part of Quebec's graphic and advertising heritage. If a poster is the object of preservation and conservation, it is because it possesses significant artistic, even heritage, value. This adds an extra dimension to what could be perceived as a simple communication medium. The poster thus acquires an artistic significance that allows it to be used, studied and exhibited for its graphic contribution and its role as a period identity. It becomes a medium that transcends its usual framework and enters the pantheon of art. Poster enthusiasts such as Marc H. Choko, François-Guy Touchette and Baudoin Wart have contributed to this collection, ensuring the longevity of these ephemeral works.
Joint impact on Montreal's cultural scene
The collaboration between organizations such as Publicité Sauvage and Art Urbain Montréal has had a profound influence on the city's cultural scene. By providing legal and structured platforms for the display and promotion of the arts, these organizations have contributed to the emergence of a dynamic and accessible urban culture. Their joint efforts have helped transform Montreal into a veritable open-air museum, where art is integrated into the daily lives of citizens and visitors alike.
The evolution of street postering in Montreal illustrates a dynamic where art, culture and community come together to shape the city's visual identity. Thanks to initiatives such as Publicité Sauvage and Art Urbain Montréal, street postering has evolved from a marginal practice to an integrated and valued component of the Montreal landscape, reflecting the richness and diversity of its cultural scene.
Poster tower for the Mémoire de l’avenir 2025 exhibition, by AUM. Photo: Latrompette Studio