Old Photographs of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montréal (1936-1974)

I don’t know if you know this, but every first Sunday of each new month, museums around Montreal offer free entry! This is super exciting if you are a museum fanatic like myself and enjoy learning every single day.

The beautiful Museum of Fine Arts in downtown Montréal was the inspiration for this next gallery of photos. I hope after viewing these photos that it inspires you to check out the museums.

Old Photographs of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montréal (1936-1974)
1936 – Photograph of the museum in the 30s.
Old Photographs of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montréal (1936-1974)
1954 – Guido Molinari in the stairwell of the museum.
1955 – Fernande Saint-Martin in front of one of the columns of the museum.
1955 – Guido Molinari & Claude Tousignant posing near the columns of the museum.
1955 – Guido Molinari & Claude Tousignant having fun near the museum columns.
1957 – Exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
1957 – Alternate view of the Exhibition poster at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

I enjoy this particular photo for a couple of reasons. Even though this photo was taken in the 50s, on film, it is so crispy. I can see all the details of the exhibition poster, even though I wish the poster explained a bit more about the exposition itself.

1957 – Chairs getting set up at the AANFM exposition in the museum.
1957 – Detail shot of the paintings in the AANFM exhibition.
1957 – Wide shot of the AANFM exposition at the museum.
1957 – Alternate view of the AANFM exposition at the museum.
1960 – Wide shot of the Museum of Fine Arts.

I find this photograph so incredibly cool. To the naked eye, the photo is simple, it’s a simple photo of the museum in the 50s. However, if you look on the right-hand side you can see the cars from the 50s.

1960 – Close-up shot of the Museum of Fine Arts.
1960 – Stairwell shot of inside the Museum of Fine Arts.
Old Photographs of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montréal (1936-1974)
1960 – Man observing a work of art on the right-hand side of the photograph.
1960 – Admission prices of the museum in the 1960s.
Old Photographs of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montréal (1936-1974)
1960 – Visitors dispersed throughout the exhibition room at the museum.
1960 – Exhibition space at the museum.

I enjoy this particular photo for a couple of reasons. Even though this photo was taken in the 50s, on film, it is so crispy. I can see all the details of the Exhibition poster, even though I wish the poster explained a bit more about the exposition itself.

Old Photographs of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montréal (1936-1974)
1974 – Facade of the museum in the 70s.
Old Photographs of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montréal (1936-1974)
1974 – Photograph of the museum name engraved in stone.

Find more photos from the Montréal archives on their website.

 

About Dalia Nardolillo 10 Articles
Dalia, a photojournalist hailing from Montreal, is deeply passionate about documenting events and sharing stories about people's lives. She is on track to graduate from Concordia University with a degree in journalism and a minor in art history. Currently, Dalia holds the position of Editor-in-Chief at her school's newspaper, The Concordian. Following graduation, she aims to secure a full-time reporting job at a major news outlet.