The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) is presenting Hyperrealism. This is not a body from February 26 to October 12, 2026. The first Canadian stop on an international tour that has travelled to 17 cities, from Bilbao to Québec, this major exhibition brings together a representative selection of hyperrealist sculpture from Canada and around the world.
Through some 40 works of breathtaking realism by 35 artists from here and abroad, it traces the evolution of the human figure in sculpture from the 1970s to the present. A break with abstraction, hyperrealism emerged in the United States in the 1960s. Painters and sculptors sought a new form of realism connected to contemporary society. Sometimes drawing on cinematic special effects, they used then-unusual materials such as silicone, polyester resin and fibreglass to reproduce the appearance and textures of the human body in minute detail. 
These pioneers and the generations who followed achieved such technical precision that their works seem to emerge from reality itself. Through an original exhibition design, the show brings together sculptures by those pioneers and other renowned artists. The MNBAQ presentation is further enriched by work from Québec and Canadian artists who belong to this artistic movement at the boundary of the real: Alain Benoit, Stanley Février, Louis Fortier, Milutin Gubash, Karine Payette and Mark Prent.
Their works, true mirrors of the human condition, stage the transformations of society and of our relationship with the body over the past 50 years. The artists’ illusionistic methods give physical form to reflections on human experience. Their creations address universal subjects: childhood, old age, solitude, one’s relationship with oneself, the passage of time and death, while taking a critical position on the contemporary world that reaches well beyond the simple challenge of resemblance.
Their three-dimensional works blur the line between art and science and explore the themes of the simulacrum, genetic manipulation and self-awareness. The title echoes René Magritte’s famous painting bearing the words ‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe,’ which questions the relationship between art and reality. 
‘A gallery of figures more lifelike than life awaits visitors at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. These works by the greatest names in hyperrealism from here and abroad prompt essential reflection on our relationship with the body, in private and in society. It is a profoundly moving exhibition, an experience on a human scale that will leave no one indifferent,’ says MNBAQ director general Jean-Luc Murray.
‘The exhibition offers a striking view of hyperrealism’s vitality and relevance today. The boundary between the real and the virtual is narrowing just as artificial intelligence undermines our ability to distinguish the genuine from the false. We now consider the meaning of our lives and our humanity from new perspectives. Hyperrealist artists accompany us on this great journey, sometimes pointing toward less-travelled paths,’ adds Caroline Lantagne, MNBAQ exhibition curator and curator of the Québec presentation.
Featuring works by Québec and Canadian artists, the Québec presentation gives pride of place to several pieces from the MNBAQ collection and includes loans from the Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Collection Giverny Capital and artist Karine Payette, represented by Galerie Art Mûr.
Presented on the ground floor of Pavillon Pierre Lassonde, the exhibition is arranged in six sections illustrating the broad range of possibilities explored by hyperrealist artists. Each section centres on a formal concept and provides interpretive tools for understanding the works. The selection of sculptures offers an overview of hyperrealist practice and shows that representations of the human body continue to evolve. Along the route, videos reveal some of the artists’ own production techniques and secrets.
Hyperrealism. This is not a body.
At the MNBAQ, Pavillon Pierre Lassonde
179, Grande Allée Ouest, Québec (Qc)
Until October 12, 2026
Schedule and tickets: mnbaq.org
Information: 418 643-2150