WAX HEROES A FANTASTIC WORLD WHERE ILLUSION AND PLAY, TRUTH AND FICTION MERGE INTO ONE Who has not been fascinated by a visit to a wax museum? Impressed and intrigued by these larger than life figures? The Wax Heroes exhibition presented at the Musée de l'Amérique française until September 30, 2002 will make you relive the disturbing atmosphere of wax museums where the boundaries between truth and fiction merge. Montreal’s Wax Museum Montreal’s Wax Museum, undoubtedly the most reputed institution of its kind, featured spectacular and stunning portrayals that filled millions of visitors with wonder for over 50 years. When the museum closed in 1989, more than 200 characters and accessories were Jacques Cartier in Gaspé photo : Jacques Lessard acquired by the Musée de la civilisation. Today, the Wax Heroes exhibition provides a unique opportunity to rediscover several artifacts from this museum, which played an important role in the history of Quebec museology. The scenes presented evoke the historical perspective, the moral values, and the religious and social climate of Quebec in the 1940-1950 period while displaying a contemporary feel and perspective. Wax art On the first floor, the visitor travels through time to discover Montreal’s Wax Museum. One can get a close look at wax art, so subtle and highly aesthetic that the pieces seem almost life-like. The first part of the circuit culminates in the presentation of two extremely troubling and gripping scenes : Christians Entering the Catacombs and The Roman Circus. The latter scene is made up of six, life-size figures made entirely of wax. The moonstruck expression of these figures, the terror expressed by their clasped bodies and the refinement of their execution raises these pieces to the rank of works of art. Acquired from the Musée Grévin de Paris in the 1930s, they are the oldest pieces from Montreal’s Wax Museum. Moreover, they are very representative of the spectacular type of presentation and of the popular entertainment tradition that brings this kind of museum to life. The Heroes of New France In the second part of the Wax Heroes exhibition, the heroic exploits of the brave discoverers and of the first colonists of New France are celebrated through the imaginative eyes of the artisans at Montreal’s Wax Museum. Heroes such as Jacques Cartier, Frontenac, Maisonneuve, and Jeanne Mance are portrayed as they brave the fierce Redskins or furiously fight the English power, their eternal enemy. Frontenac in Cataracoui photo : Jacques Lessard The scripting of the Wax Heroes exhibition emphasizes the power games, the tests of strength between the figures, and the activity of the masculine world versus the interiority of the feminine world. This presentation is in sharp contrast with the museographic approach of the 1940s in which, in the absence of any chronological or thematic perspective, the scenes served either as richly illustrated history textbooks, as triggers for the imagination, or to revive the patriotic fervor of French Canadian visitors. The Wax Magic! workshop Finally, starting December 9, the whole family is invited to discover the secrets of wax-figure making, such as how to arrange the hands, arms, eyes and hair. Young and old alike will be able to handle and smell the raw wax and take home a free little wax gift! The Wax Heroes exhibition is presented at the Musée de l'Amérique française, from December 6, 2000 to September 30, 2002. Informations: Agnès Dufour, [418] 643-2158 Relations publiques et communications Issued : December 5, 2000 © Musée de la civilisation