Raised in a working-class family of 15, he started drawing at age
11.
Though he registered in various art classes, he was mostly
self-taught. In October 1938, with the support of a Québec
government grant, Dallaire went to Paris, where he attended the
Atelier d'art sacré, the Lhote studio and worked in his Montmartre
studio.
He became familiar with the work of Picasso and the surrealists and
met Alfred Pellan. Under the German Occupation (1940-44) he was
prisoner at St-Denis. He taught painting at the École des beaux-arts
in Québec City 1946-52, worked for the National Film Board in Ottawa
1952-57, mostly illustrating animated films, then lived and painted
in Montréal from 1957-59. In 1959 he went to Europe to stay. He died
of heart failure, thus ending prematurely a brilliant career.
Dallaire's works show varied stylistic influences and are always
recognized by their draftsmanship and spontaneity in subject and use
of colour.
Untitled (Seated woman) | La folle | |
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