New artwork unveiled at Place-des-Arts métro station

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) recently added a new piece to its rich collection of public art.

La Réconciliation is a print on aluminum by Dominique Pétrin, a Montréal-based visual artist with over 20 years of experience in silkscreen printing. The work can be found in the De Bleury North entrance building at Place-des-Arts métro station.

The artwork features an assortment of geometric shapes that evoke a rediscovered harmony between humans and their environment. It was inspired by the introduction written by famed author Gabrielle Roy (1909–1983) for the official catalogue of Expo 67. That world’s fair took place in the midst of the Quiet Revolution, a defining period in Quebec’s history that saw the creation of the Place des Arts and the Montréal métro in quick succession.

Dominique Pétrin’s work was selected by a jury as part of a public art competition organized in anticipation of the modernization and expansion of Place-des-Arts station to make it more accessible. The work began in 2019 and was completed in the summer of 2022 with the commissioning of the new elevators. The new artwork was added to the station as per the Politique d’intégration des arts à l’architecture et à l’environnement des bâtiments et des sites gouvernementaux et publics (the 1% policy).

La Réconciliation is the STM’s 98th artwork. The collection can be viewed online.