Villeneuve

Arthur

Villeneuve

Arthur

1910 - 1990

Arthur Villeneuve is best known for the house that he converted into a living museum, “Maison Villeneuve”. He purchased this home in 1950, and by 1957, he began painting frescoes on the walls of his home. It took him 23 months to complete this masterpiece, working over 100 hours a week. The “Maison Villeneuve” opened to the public in 1959. Six years later, a film about this artist and his home was made by the Canadian National Film Board titled, “Villeneuve, Painter-Barber”.

His talent was originally discovered by Stanley M. Cosgrove RCA, who brought public attention to Villeneuve’s talent as an artist. Arthur Villeneuve had been working as a barber in his hometown of Chicoutimi since he was sixteen years old. It was only twenty years later (1946) that he was able to dedicate himself to painting.

After completing the seemingly endless project of converting his home into a living museum, Villeneuve began to paint and exhibit outside of his home. By 1972, he was holding exhibitions at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Quebec and the Vancouver Art Gallery. He continued to exhibit his work until he died in 1990. The “Maison Villeneuve” now resides in the Pulp and Paper Museum in Chicoutimi, Québec

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