Question primordiale – 1998

While studying at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal, he discovered French modernism and allowed his works to be infused with it. His paintings were quickly noticed by Paul-Émile Borduas, who invited him to join the artists gathering in his studio. In 1943, he exhibited with this group at the Société d’art contemporain and remained associated with them, a group that would later become known as the Automatistes. Beginning in the 1950s, he developed a freer imagery before becoming a writer, director, and television producer. He stopped painting from 1960 to 1975, resuming his practice afterward. Over the course of his career, he designed sets for several plays, including one written by his brother, Claude Gauvreau, entitled Bien-être. He is also credited with writing the scripts for the popular television series Le temps d’une paix, which enjoyed tremendous success throughout the 1980s.