“THIS IS NOT A BALL” – Auction for the MMFA LiveEvents November 10, 2020 1860 Online auction until November 12, 2020, 8:00 pm Caroline Monnet, Vade Mecum, 2020, edition 2 of 5, embossed printing on Arches paper The virtual This is Not a Ball auction of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is now live! To guide art lovers and the public, personalities from the Quebec art world have shared their favourite works from the auction lots. Doctor and NFL football player Laurent Duvernay-Tardif; independent curator and author Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau; independent curator and founder of Nigra Iuventa Diane Gistal; and corporate curator at the Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec Marie-Justine Snider talk about their favourite works in videos posted on the MMFA’s social media accounts. Place your bids! Until 8:00 pm on November 12, 2020, the public can bid on works by contemporary Quebec and Canadian artists, on unique and emotionally rich experiences, or on symbolic prizes whose full proceeds will go to support the Museum and help it carry out its mission long into the future. This is Not a Ball will also support local artists and galleries with a commitment to remunerating them at fair market value. Michelle Bui, Baby’s Breath, 2019, pigmented print on paper Go to mycause.bid/mbam/auction to participate. Our personalities’ favourites Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, doctor and player for the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football team: Vade Mecum (2020) by multidisciplinary artist Caroline Monnet. “What I like about Caroline Monnet’s style is that she applies traditional patterns to contemporary materials but with industrial processes, which adds an extra layer of tension to her work.” Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau, independent commissioner and author: Baby’s Breath (2019) by photographer Michelle Bui. “The contrasts between the smallness of the composition and the size of the canvas, between the familiar and the foreign, and between the still-life tradition and advertising imagery are what make Michelle Bui an artist to be discovered and followed.” Angèle Verret,Un passé composé, 2018, acrylic on canvas Diane Gistal, independent commissioner and founder of Nigra luventa: Je crois savoir comment il me voit #2 No5 (2020) by Moridja Kitenge Banza. “I’m an admirer of his pieces and what they force us to think about. His body of work speaks of territory, culture, and the stigma of mental health in Black communities and contemporary African societies.” Marie-Justine Snider, corporate curator for the Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec: Un passé composé (2018) by Angèle Verret. “A series of extremely subtle elements form the image in this piece and suddenly become a valley or crevice, and the unexpected is what fascinates me about her work.” Presented by RBC Royal Bank, the online auction This is Not a Ball will raise funds to enable the Museum to pursue its artistic and social mission.