Monuments of the Montreal Metro

Lots of talk these days about the new metro to Laval which finally opened here in Montreal last weekend. Now hundreds of Lavallois will be spared from faire le pont every morning and be able to leave their fat suburban cars at home – a victory for sustainable transportation nerds like myself.

Given how unique the metro stations from the ’60 and 70’s are, I’m also curious to see what the millennium version looks like. After all, Montreal’s metro is a famously artful - or at least art filled - place.

In the original 26 stations, (Green line from Atwater to Frontenac, Orange line from Bonaventure to Henri-Bourassa and Yellow line) the concept was to create epic murals depicting Montreal’s history and culture in each station - supposedly, “nonfigurative” art was discouraged. Private companies and organizations were supposed to finance the artworks - the stained glass mural Histoire de la musique à Montréal at Place-des-Arts metro was paid for by old-school grocery mogul, Steinbergs - but in a lot of cases the anticipated pieces were never commissioned or created.

After 1976, metro art was put in the hands of the architect and incorporated into the budget for all new metro extensions, and they got over their fondness for the figurative. I’ve never taken an art history class, but the difference is unmissable - on my daily commute towards Cote Vertu, each metro platform features larger-than-life monuments in concrete and bubble-gum coloured moulded plastic. I’ve gotta admit that the hive of dodecahedrons at Namur and the hedgehog death star at de la Savanne (right) are a bit much to take in at 8am.

In the new Laval stations, 1% of the budget was dedicated to metro art, in accordance with the Quebec government’s policy to integrate art into public places. If you get a chance, take the trip and check out what $700,000 will get you on the installation art market these days…

****next week: Montreal Metro sounds!