MONTREAL.- A whirlwind of colours lights up the Sculpture Garden of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts this summer with TOM IV: FLOWER POWER, a work of public art displayed along Du Musée Avenue until October 29th. Highlighting the 375th anniversary of Montréal and the 50th anniversary of Expo 67, this installation created by the landscape architect Claude Cormier is a paean to creativity and the psychedelic spirit of the sixties.

TOM IV is over 57 m long and consists of 15,000 temporary overlay markers (TOMs) in 10 colours that shimmer like fireworks. Punctuated by circular benches that invite visitors to take possession of the space, it extends the circuit of the exhibition of public art La Balade pour la Paix displayed along Sherbrooke Street West between the sector of the MMFA and Concordia University and the sector of McCord Museum and McGill University. “This summer sees an explosion of colours on Du Musée Avenue”, says landscape architect Claude Cormier.

Executed thanks to the support of the Ville de Montréal – Arrondissement Ville — Marie, TOM IV: FLOWER POWER – LE POUVOIR DES FLEURS is laid out in the heart of the CGI and Max and Iris Stern Sculpture Garden, which comprises 26 artworks including Dale Chihuly’s Sun, now an icon of Montreal. It should be noted that TOM IV is the fourth installation by the firm Claude Cormier et Associés on Du Musée Avenue. The series started in 2012 with TOM I: Field of Daisies (3,500 TOMS); in 2013, TOMS II – Field of Poppies (8,000 TOMS); in 2014, TOM III: Mirage (10,500 TOMS).

Newly expanded Sculpture Garden
In the north the CGI and Max and Iris Stern Sculpture Garden runs from Du Musée Avenue to Sherbrooke Street (the portion bordering the Museum) and now in the south on Bishop Street, in the new Education-Culture Zone. This dynamic crossroads was created in collaboration with Concordia University and the City of Montreal.

With its CGI and Max and Iris Stern Garden, featuring twenty-six sculptures, the Museum bolsters the presence of public art in the heart of the city and tells the story of sculpture from the modern era to the present day. The Garden includes works by David Altmejd, Valérie Blass, César, Lynn Chadwick, Dale Chihuly, Aaron Curry, Jim Dine, Kosso Eloul, Sorel Etrog, Joe Fafard, Barry Flanagan, Elisabeth Frink, Antony Gormley, Fernand Léger, Henry Moore, Mimmo Paladino, Jaume Plensa, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Auguste Rodin, Armand Vaillancourt and Colleen Wolstenholme. Located alongside the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion, the CGI Sculpture Garden complements the Max and Iris Stern Garden opened in 2004 around the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion and the Liliane and David M. Stewart Pavilion. It is the site of one of the largest public art collections in Montreal. As such, the MMFA’s Sculpture Garden is included in the five tours on Tourisme Montréal’s public art map, which tells the story of Montreal and reveals the cultural wealth and creativity that energizes the city.