The final works by Plasticien Denis Juneau may surprise anyone who did not follow his career during the 1980s and 1990s, when he returned to free gesture—the act of painting in the moment. Comprising thinned-out coloured ink bands and pen-drawn black ink lines and graphics, these paintings, which were executed between 2009 and 2010, have an obvious formal affinity. They also stem from his having recently taken up watercolour at that time, the very last technique with which he expressed himself.  

On display here will be canvases continuing in the same vein as Hommage à Molinari 1 (2009), created on the occasion of the Galerie Simon Blais exhibition La rencontre, which was the first work by the painter to freely juxtapose verticals of flat colours. Executed using diluted acrylic paint, the bands, whose translucency lets the support show through, seem to float upon its surface. Emphasis is thus given to the physical properties of colour, its vibrancy revealed with exceptional skill.

Recent Works presents the final chapter in an entire life—that of an artist who was constantly able to renew his visual vocabulary—devoted to a tireless exploration of art. The product of an active collaboration between the artist and his gallerist, this exhibition, although unfortunately posthumous, pays tribute to the recently departed Denis Juneau.