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L’Atelier-Galerie A.Piroir est un espace de travail et d’exposition dédié à l’art imprimé / The A.Piroir Studio-Gallery is specialized in the creation and exhibition of fineartprintmaking

THE A. PIROIR STUDIO-GALLERY IS SPECIALIZED IN THE CREATION AND EXHIBITION OF FINE ART PRINTMAKING

Unique venue

We are pleased to present the Atelier-Galerie A. Piroir. Since 1975, we have been an intaglio printer, publisher of prints and artist’s books, and print media gallery owners. Two generations of printers work together at the studio. Alain Piroirʳᶜᵃ has passed on the love for the trade to his daughter Agatheʳᶜᵃ, who, after having worked on her own, joined her father in 2006. We are proud to provide Montrealers with a venue to enjoy print media. The gallery is giving the public an exceptional opportunity to explore contemporary printmaking in its creative context. The exhibitions are presented alongside presses in the studio, where the public will be able to watch the printers and artists at work. Art lovers will be able to see the creation of a print from start to finish.

As printers, our goal is to work collaboratively with artists who challenge our skills. Our practice involves advising, assisting and helping them produce their works, which requires an in-depth dialogue with them and an ability to creatively address the technical challenges of their art. We also endeavour to disseminate the creations of our artists. Our gallery’s mission is to exhibit print media by artists who have a contemporary approach. Our commitment has culminated in a partnership with the Biennale internationale d’estampe contemporaine de Trois-Rivières, where the Prix Atelier-Galerie A. Piroir is awarded. Drawing on more than 48 years’ experience, our unique approach has earned us a reputation as print media experts.

 

INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE

MASTER PRINTERS

OVER 50 YEARS EXPERIENCE

In the tradition of European masters, Alain Piroirʳᶜᵃ and his daughter Agathe offer artists specialized services in traditional printing methods as well as newer methods such as digital printing. Bringing together their skill and know how, the team produces work of exceptional quality in intaglio methods, engraving, etching, mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint, as well as linocuts, woodcuts (xylography), photogravure, lithography and digital prints.

Alain Piroir is a 2024 finalist.

Finalist of the 2021 and 2024 edition.

Winner for the 6th edition Honorific Grants of Entreprendre ici

Alain Piroir finalist for the 2022 Charles-Biddle Prize (national and international)

Saint-Denys Garneau International Prize, 2020, for our entire career for our artist books.

 

GALLERY

The gallery’s mandate is to promote current print media artists and to bring their work to the general public.

Commited to promoting emerging artists and established artists, the gallery aims to present engaging exhibitions that attest to the great vitality and diversity that exists within all printmaking disciplines.

Gallery hours: Tuesday-Friday, 12:00-6:00 or by appointment on Saturday and during workshop hours.

WE WISH TO THANK THE CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS FOR ITS SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL REACH as Contemporary Art Dealer.

 

Temporary Gallery Closure Notice

Dear visitors, our gallery will be closed until September 30th to allow us to archive and photograph our collection. However, our studio remains open during regular hours, Monday to Friday, from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Our website is functionnal, but is currently under improvement.

 

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION

 

Upcoming Exhibition of Jean Michel Cropsal

From Tuesday, September 30 to Saturday, October 31, 2025

Opening on Wednesday, October 1st at 5:30 p.m.

The artist will be present every Friday and Saturday

"All that remains for the painter is to yield to writing," wrote Aragon in Le Fou d’Elsa.

This phrase could serve as a threshold to enter the universe of Jean-Michel Cropsal. For to discover his engravings and collages is to embark on an intimate journey into a memory where image and text are in constant dialogue, where art becomes a form of silent writing.

His engravings transport us to places steeped in history and resonance: Volubilis, Essaouira… Fragments of the world fixed on copper and paper, like timeless imprints. We recognize rosettes, mysterious signs, the beginnings of letters—so many attempts at writing, as though engraving were striving to join with speech, to prolong its trace through the senses.

His collages, for their part, appear like tattoos on a skin already marked by text. They overlap, conceal, reveal, and obscure all at once, reminding us that memory is made of layers, assemblages, wounds, and scars. Image and writing intertwine in a fragile yet dense material, where both beauty and pain, intimacy and universality, can be perceived.

To enter Cropsal’s work is thus to accept walking along that uncertain frontier where sign becomes image and image becomes sign. It is to consent to a singular experience where memory is inscribed differently, not with words, but with traces, fragments, symbols that open a space for poetic meditation.

© Guy L'Heureux

© Guy L'Heureux

Fine art Prints

Atelier-Galerie A. Piroir has a collection of about 3,500 prints, of which only a small portion are published on this website; the rest will appear as we expand the digitization of our archives. The website features wood print media, lithography, linocuts, intaglio engravings and screen prints. These are all original works created for a limited edition, numbered and signed by the artist; some of them are from our collections, while others are prints submitted by artists. Our aim is to present only high-quality works both in terms of technique and artistic approach.

 

 

Mishtikᵘ - L’arbre - The Tree

Text by Joséphine Bacon and engraving Terry Randu Awashish

2020 | 18 x 11 cm | relief | 40 prints | editor Faiseurs d’images

$800.00 CAD

Artists’ books

We only sell artist’s books in the style of the French tradition. Our works consist of texts, printed by hand in letterpress, and prints made using a variety of techniques: intaglio or wood engraving, lithography, linocut or screen printing. All books include a numbered colophon, signed by the writer and artist. To produce our works, it is essential to work collaboratively with them. We therefore usually approach one of the two creators and ask them to choose their partner. This stimulating, creative process results in our beautiful books, which we are pleased to present.

Trois-Rivières International Contemporary Print Biennial (BIECTR)

Atelier-Galerie A. Piroir Prize

In partnership with the Trois-Rivières International Contemporary Print Biennial (BIECTR), the Atelier-Galerie A.Piroir has the honour of presenting a prize to an artist, consisting of an artist residency and a solo exhibition at the studio during the intercalary year. This partnership aligns with the common objectives of BIECTR and the workshop to promote the renewal and development of contemporary prints.

 

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND DEMONSTRATIONS

Through presentations, demonstrations, and workshops, Atelier‑Galerie A. Piroir offers introductory printmaking activities. During these sessions, we establish key historical landmarks while explaining and demonstrating each stage of creating a print—from working the plate to pulling the final impression.

A dedicated educational program has been developed especially for school groups. Whether held in the classroom or at the Atelier‑Galerie, the activities can be tailored for elementary, high‑school, and CEGEP students.

TYPES OF ACTIVITIES OFFERED

Classroom Demonstration:presentation of the history and techniques of printmaking, with an explanation of each step involved in producing a print.

Duration: 1 hour

Studio Demonstration – standard: presentation of the history and techniques of printmaking, guided tour of the studio and/or the current exhibition, plus a demonstration of the print‑creation process.

Duration: 1 hour

Studio Demonstration – expanded: presentation of the history and techniques of printmaking, including brief demonstrations of several different techniques.

Duration: 2 hours

Studio Creation Project with Printing: in collaboration with the classroom teacher, students design a print that will be printed in the studio. Possible techniques include collagraph on Plexiglas using acrylic medium, drypoint on metal plate, linocut, and monotype. Plate preparation may be done either in class or at the studio. The project can be completed in a 2‑hour session or spread over several sessions.

Through presentations and demonstrations, the Atelier-Galerie initiates it's public to the various techniques and the history of the artform. The studios are an ideal location to demonstrate the steps necessary to the completion of a printed work and are set up to allow students to try their hand at the medium.

***A special program has been developped specifically for students and is adapted to groups from elementary or secondary schools as well as Cegeps.