Tashi Farmilo
LJI Reporter

Pierre Debain : le parcours d’un artiste dévoué , now open at Espace Pierre-Debain, traces the
life and work of a man whose artistic vision and tireless cultural labour helped shape the identity
of the Outaouais. Curated by Kali Kim Lindsay Sabourin and Philippe Bourdeau, with
contributions from Simon Debain, the exhibition offers a rare and intimate view of an artist who
left as much behind in bricks, ink, and community as he did on canvas.

Born in 1923 in Belfort, France, Pierre Debain’s journey was marked by war, exile, and a lifelong
search for meaning through creative practice. The son of Colonel Paul Debain, he spent his
adolescence in Algeria and Morocco, losing his mother, Lucie Bousson, at the age of eighteen.
Soon after, he joined the French army during the Second World War. Captured and held as a
prisoner, he later fought in the Allied advance into Alsace in 1945. These early experiences of
loss, survival, and displacement remained quietly present throughout his work.

After the war, while Pierre Debain was employed as a surveyor in Algeria, a family connection
unexpectedly changed his future. A Christian Brother from Ottawa, who had once taught a
young woman named Yvette Bond, visited France and met Colonel Paul Debain. During their
conversation, the Brother mentioned that Yvette Bond had expressed an interest in
corresponding with a young Frenchman. The two men arranged the introduction. Letters were
exchanged between Pierre Debain and Yvette Bond for two years, until Pierre Debain crossed
the Atlantic to marry her.

Pierre Debain and Yvette Bond settled in Hull, raised four children, and began building what
would become a lifelong partnership not only in marriage but in art and public life. In the 1960s,
surrounded by an emerging network of artists, they co-founded the Service d’Épanouissement
Communautaire de l’Outaouais, supported regional exhibitions, and participated in the cultural
revival of western Quebec. Yvette Bond became increasingly active in nationalist politics, while
Pierre Debain dedicated himself to drawing, painting, and collaborative arts initiatives.

Their most lasting contribution came in 1975, when the couple opened L’Imagier, the region’s
first independent art gallery. Pierre Debain drafted the building plans himself and, with the help
of their children, neighbours, and friends, constructed the gallery from salvaged barn wood.
Yvette Bond assumed the role of director. The gallery quickly became a vital space for artists in
the region, operating without public funding for its first decade, sustained only by their personal
resources and commitment.

The current exhibition presents a body of work that spans decades and several artistic phases,
including figure studies, pen and ink drawings, whimsical illustrations, and bold silkscreen prints.
As Pierre Debain shifted from painting to printmaking and later to digital design, he maintained
his belief in art as a means of connection and care. Alongside his artwork, the exhibition
includes archival material from the early years of L’Imagier, documenting his roles in graphic
design, publication, and teaching.​

This retrospective is the first of two exhibitions marking the 50th anniversary of L’Imagier. A
second exhibition will open this autumn at the Centre d’exposition L’Imagier and will explore the
gallery’s broader cultural impact as a meeting place and incubator for generations of regional
artists.

Pierre Debain died in 1996. Yvette Bond continued their shared work for over a decade until her
death in 2008. Their legacy lives on in the institutions they built and in the belief that art, rooted
in community, can shape the identity of a region.

Pierre Debain : le parcours d’un artiste dévoué continues through August 17 at Espace Pierre-
Debain, Centre culturel du Vieux-Aylmer, 120 rue Principale. Entry is free.

Photo: A retrospective exhibition in Gatineau celebrates the life and legacy of Pierre Debain,
tracing his journey from wartime France to cultural trailblazer in Quebec through decades of
artistic and community-building work. (TF) Photo: Courtesy of the City of Gatineau