It is with great sadness that we publish the following news today. Our friend, colleague, collaborator and great lover of life, François Babineau, passed away Friday evening as a result of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Babi to many of us, Fri to some, the wild Babineau of America will have left his mark on the minds and lives of many. Always present and available for his family, friends, artists and many others; on his bike, summer and winter, present at all artistic events if he wasn't hiking or escaping somewhere in the world with his sweetheart, he enjoyed life to the very end.
With a B.A. in Design Arts from Concordia University (1997), François Babineau was assistant at Galerie Simon Blais for over 30 years, from 1989 to 2021. Among other things, he developed and defended the contemporary photography department, supported and encouraged the work of young artists, and provided highly personalized advice to clients eager to benefit from his expertise. For 8 years, he also sat on the board of directors of the Association des galeries d'art contemporain (AGAC) and, in this capacity, was part of the team behind Papier, Montreal's annual contemporary art fair. He was also an avid collector in his spare time. He was curious about everything, and always kept his eyes sparkling and teasing. He will be sorely missed.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 22, at Espace MÉMORIA, 1120 rue Jean- Talon Est, Montréal, with condolences starting at 2 p.m. and a secular ceremony at 4:30 p.m.
