Guylaine Fournier: bitten by the visual arts bug, 20 years later
Rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste in old Baie-Saint-Paul. The shop window already gives a taste of what awaits you inside. The Galerie Guylaine Fournier has been at this location for 20 years. She acquired the gallery from a painter who had his studio there, and she had started out with him as gallery manager.
Two months later, he offered to transfer everything into her name. He had seen in her the motivated, passionate person who would carry on what he had started.
Before long, Guylaine set about modifying the premises to expand them. This meant cutting through the floor to install a wide staircase, while the basement was also excavated to create a vast exhibition space. Meanwhile, the ground floor was expanded by adding two adjoining rooms.
Today, the Galerie Guylaine Fournier offers “a balanced gallery where all styles are on offer, with as many established artists as emerging ones,” she explains.
As a good gallerist, she is always mindful of serving her clients better. For her, trust is the most important criterion. That is why the artists she represents share a desire for a healthy, lasting, and profitable partnership with her gallery. To achieve this, they all advocate a policy of reasonable prices.
"The days when talent was the preserve of just a few are long gone. Today, talent abounds. There is a varied choice. The affordable price of quality works is an extremely decisive factor in the decision to buy," says Guylaine Fournier. Her gallery’s slogan is 'L’art plaisir.' It is the pleasure itself, the feeling you get when you finally find the piece that captivates you. "That is certainly what we feel when a client’s eyes light up at the sight of a magical painting or a sought-after sculpture. It is also what our artists feel when they present their works to us: pleasure," concludes the gallery owner.
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While she runs the Baie-Saint-Paul gallery on her own, she now also has a gallery in Pointe-au-Pic (La Malbaie), on rue Richelieu, which she runs with her business partner and spouse. You’ll find some of the same artists there as in Baie-Saint-Paul, along with other exclusive artists.
GALERIE GUYLAINE FOURNIER
galerieguylainefournier.com
104-2, rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Baie-Saint-Paul, Qc G3Z 1M6
418 435.4183