Sans titre (circa 1960) by Henriette Fauteux-Massé

A largely self-taught artist, Henriette Fauteaux-Massé’s first foray into the arts took the form of dance and performance but, at the age of 17, a friend offered her his easel, stool, and cast models. Initially interested in this equipment purely for its decorative value, she soon quit dance and began painting seriously. Her artistic education began with three trips to New York City between 1946 and 1948, where she spoke with fellow artists and visited museums. In 1951, the artist was awarded a scholarship from the Quebec government and travelled to Paris, where she received her first formal training under artist Andre Lhote. Upon her return home, Fauteux-Massé spent five years painting by herself in an effort to refine her particular abstract style. She participated in several group shows both in Canada and abroad, including The Winnipeg Show (1959), the International Painting Competition at Granby, Quebec (where she won first prize), and exhibits in Paris at the Musée d'art moderne and the Salon des femmes peintres. A founding member of the Conseil de la peinture (from 1966), she was also a member of the Non-Figurative Artists' Association of Montreal (1957-60). Henriette Fauteaux-Massé’s work can be found in the collections of the National Gallery of the Canada, the Musée du Quebec and numerous important private collections.