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Constant Evolution:
The Work of
Françoise Sullivan


Curated by Annie Gérin

Mural by Françoise Sullivan made of various colours of granite. Jagged, interlocking forms with darker inlaid veins come together to form a mountain range.

Françoise Sullivan (b.1923) is best known as a pioneering figure of modern dance and one of the signatories of the 1948 manifesto Refus global (Total Refusal). But Sullivan also produced an extensive body of performance and installation works, photographs, sculptures, and paintings that coalesce around issues of primal energy, movement, improvisation, and art’s relationship to its environment. With a career that spans more than seventy years, Sullivan is one of the most versatile and enduring artists of her generation. For more on Françoise Sullivan read Annie Gérin’s Françoise Sullivan: Life & Work.



About the Curator: Annie Gérin

Annie Gérin is a curator and professor of art history and art theory at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), where her research encompasses Canadian art, Soviet art, and art on the World Wide Web. She is especially concerned with art encountered by non-specialized publics, outside the gallery space.



Banner Image: Françoise Sullivan, Mountain (Montagne) (detail), 1997, three murals and four benches made of granite, varied dimensions, Pavillon Président-Kennedy, Université du Québec à Montréal.

Gallery

Black and white photograph of a woman, Françoise Sullivan, dancing outdoors on a snow-covered hill with the tops of bare trees visible in the background.

Dance in the Snow (Danse dans la neige), 1948

Black and white photograph of a woman, Françoise Sullivan, dancing barefoot in a dark room and wearing loose-fitting clothing over black tights. Her limbs are blurry with movement.

Black and Tan, 1948

Colour photograph of an abstract sculpture by Françoise Sullivan made of steel and painted red. Installed in a plaza outdoors, flat connected circles fall down the side of a large "T" shape.

Callooh Callay, 1967

Black and white photograph of a sculpture by Françoise Sullivan. Light shines on a clear spiral form, made of plexiglass and placed horizontally, which casts shadows on the shag carpet beneath it.

Of One (De une), 1968–69

Black and white photograph of people entering a large art gallery with stone pillars surrounding the tall front doors. The photograph is taken from across a busy street filled with moving cars.

Walk between the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Fine Arts (Promenade entre le Musée d’art contemporain et le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal), 1970

Two photographs of exhibition cases, made by by Françoise Sullivan and containing artwork and photographs, installed on sidewalks in front of homes in Montreal.

Legend of Artists (La légende des artistes), 1976

Collage by Françoise Sullivan, made of black and white photos, of a telephone booth crammed with large boulders.

Blocked Phone Booth (Cabine téléphonique bloquée), 1978–79

Mural by Françoise Sullivan made of various colours of granite. Jagged, interlocking forms with darker inlaid veins come together to form a mountain range.

Mountain (Montagne), 1997

Painting by Françoise Sullivan divided vertically into two parts. On the left, a solid field of reddish orange and, on the right, a solid field of a lighter bright orange.

Homage to Paterson (Hommage à Paterson), 2003

Black and white photograph of a woman, Françoise Sullivan, dancing outdoors on a snow-covered hill with the tops of bare trees visible in the background.

Dance in the Snow (Danse dans la neige), 1948

Black and white photograph of a woman, Françoise Sullivan, dancing barefoot in a dark room and wearing loose-fitting clothing over black tights. Her limbs are blurry with movement.

Black and Tan, 1948

Colour photograph of an abstract sculpture by Françoise Sullivan made of steel and painted red. Installed in a plaza outdoors, flat connected circles fall down the side of a large "T" shape.

Callooh Callay, 1967

Black and white photograph of a sculpture by Françoise Sullivan. Light shines on a clear spiral form, made of plexiglass and placed horizontally, which casts shadows on the shag carpet beneath it.

Of One (De une), 1968–69

Black and white photograph of people entering a large art gallery with stone pillars surrounding the tall front doors. The photograph is taken from across a busy street filled with moving cars.

Walk between the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Fine Arts (Promenade entre le Musée d’art contemporain et le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal), 1970

Two photographs of exhibition cases, made by by Françoise Sullivan and containing artwork and photographs, installed on sidewalks in front of homes in Montreal.

Legend of Artists (La légende des artistes), 1976

Collage by Françoise Sullivan, made of black and white photos, of a telephone booth crammed with large boulders.

Blocked Phone Booth (Cabine téléphonique bloquée), 1978–79

Mural by Françoise Sullivan made of various colours of granite. Jagged, interlocking forms with darker inlaid veins come together to form a mountain range.

Mountain (Montagne), 1997

Painting by Françoise Sullivan divided vertically into two parts. On the left, a solid field of reddish orange and, on the right, a solid field of a lighter bright orange.

Homage to Paterson (Hommage à Paterson), 2003

Explore More

Online Exhibitions

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Composite image of two paintings. LEFT: an abstract image of brightly coloured tubes, cones, and circles. LEFT: A woman in profile in front of a brightly coloured background of lines and circles.
The 2025 Canadian Student Art inspiration Challenge

Celebrating Canada’s Future Artists

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Composite image of an aerial photograph of a river (left) and a surreal painting of blended city and mountain landscape (right).
The 2024 Canadian Student Art inspiration Challenge

Celebrating Canada’s Future Artists

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Composite of two paintings. LEFT: portrait of two youg women in front of water. RIGHT: portrait of a woman with a young child.
The 2023 Canadian Student Art inspiration Challenge

Celebrating Canada’s Future Artists

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An exhibition of works by Françoise Sullivan