Abstract

A politic of integration of art in urban spaces emerged in Quebec during the 1960s. Moving away from the art of the monument, artists in Quebec began to create contemporary art designed specifically for an urban context. Charles Daudelin was part of a new generation of artists experimenting with the possibilities of urban art, changing the relationship between art, the public and the manner both come into contact. This thesis will explore the contribution of Daudelin to the emergence of art in the urban context and to what eventually became categorized as “public art”. Inspired by Le Corbusier’s “synthèse des arts” concept, Daudelin established his own artistic practice that involved greater collaboration between artists and architects, as well as any actors involved in public projects. Using several of Daudelin’s projects as case studies, this thesis will explored how Daudelin elaborated his approach to urban art and what he referred to as “l’art intégré” – an expression he used to name the course he established and taught at L’école des beaux-arts de Montréal from 1964 to 1968.
Following a critical analysis of Daudelin’s artistic practice, this thesis will aim to establish Daudelin’s lasting contribution to public art as well as the different shortcomings of his understanding of art in an urban context. Using theoretical writing on the nature of public space and its relation to art, I will define Daudelin’s understanding of public space in the context of emerging interventions that questioned the open and democratic discourse surrounding public space.