About me

I see sculpture as a conversation between the artist and the stone, a balancing act where the material asserts itself while also being shaped by the artists vision.

Art & Life

Artistic approach

For the past few years, Michel Dufresne has been dedicating himself to his artistic work in stone sculpture. He is a member of a sculptor cooperative in Montreal (Canada), the Atelier SKÜLPT 303. He draws strong inspiration from the work of Canadian and international post-war artists, such as Yves Trudeau, Barbara Hepworth, Jean Arp, Henry Moore, and Isamu Noguchi, to name just a few.

His artistic exploration is inspired by the morphological forms found in the natural environment: pebbles and stones shaped by the torrents of rivers, their shapes and random stacking becoming an inexhaustible source of inspiration for his abstract and distinctly contemporary sculptures. 

The rounded forms of his sculptures are marked by notches and grooves that echo these accumulations. The stones appear to be stacked or assembled, creating a precarious balance. However, the stacking and assembling is actually made from a single piece of stone, carefully carved (sculpted) to articulate these unusual forms.

Furthermore, his sculptural work draws on the raw, organic energy of the stone. Each stone he selects has a form, mass, and aesthetic that inspire his research and creation process.

Biography

Trained in 1977 in Fine Arts at Cégep de Sherbrooke (Canada), Michel Dufresne steered his professional career towards Urban Planning and Urban Design (Bachelor’s in Urban Design, UQAM, 1980, and Master’s in Urban Planning, Université de Montréal, 1986).


Throughout his professional practice, Michel Dufresne has realized and planned numerous large-scale institutional and public projects: master plans, strategic development and planning, and public consultations. Throughout his career, he has maintained a strong interest in contemporary art, its artists, and its institutions.


Passionate about art, he has been a collector for over 30 years and is actively involved in the arts community. He served as a board member at the Fonderie Darling, a visual arts center, in Montreal, for several years (2019-2021), and regularly visits major contemporary art fairs (Biennale di Venezia, Miami Art Basel, Art Toronto, etc.).


For the past several years, Michel Dufresne has been fully dedicated to his artistic work in stone sculpture. He is a member of a sculptor cooperative in Montreal (Canada), the Atelier SKÜLPT 303.


He is also a member of several recognized artistic organizations in Canada and the United States, such as: Regroupement des Artistes en Arts Visuels du Québec (RAAV), Conseil de la Sculpture du Québec, Sculptors Society of Canada and the National Sculpture Society (USA), to name just a few.


He has participated in several group exhibitions, especially in Montreal and the surrounding area, as well as in Toronto (Canada). Many of his works are part of private collections.


Most recently, he was invited, along with four other Montreal sculptors, to participate in a residency at Stallaini (the site of an old stone quarry) in Sicily, Italy. Along with fellow sculptor Martin Aubin, he completed a Land Art project in 10 intensive days, which included an arrangement of stones and a monumental stele at an archaeological site.


In summary, despite a relatively recent return to sculpture, Michel Dufresne is fully committed to his artistic research and production, with the ambition to showcase his work in galleries and gain recognition from his peers (sculptors, curators, art critics, and collectors).

Professional Associations

2024

National Sculpture Society, New York, USA, Associate Member

Regroupement des Artistes en Art Visuel du Québec, Associate Member

Conseil de la Sculpture du Québec (CSQ), Associate Member

2023

Association des Sculpteurs sur Pierre (ASPM), Professional Member

Sculptor Society of Canada (SSC), Professional Member

2022

Atelier SKÜLPT 303, Member of the Stone Sculptors' Studio

Let’s connect today

Let’s connect today

and explore

and explore

the art of sculpture

the art of sculpture

Let’s connect today

and explore

the art of sculpture