Melanie Authier was born in 1980 in Montreal. She received a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal (2002) and an MFA from the University of Guelph (2006). Authier has exhibited across the country and was recently included in Builders: Canadian Biennial at the National Gallery of Canada (2012). Upcoming solo projects include a 2016 touring exhibition guest curated by Robert Enright. Confirmed tour venues include the Thames Art Gallery (Chatham-Kent, ON), Ottawa Art Gallery (Ottawa, ON), Art Gallery of Guelph (Guelph), Galerie UQAM (Montreal, QC), Kenderdine Art Gallery (Saskatoon, SK), Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery (Halifax, NS) and the Musée Regional de Rimouski (Rimouski, QC). This project will be accompanied by a catalogue with interview by Robert Enright and essays by Sarah Milroy and Ola Wlusek. Recent solo exhibitions include Figments and Foils at Georgia Scherman Projects, Toronto (2014), Grisailles at Rodman Hall, Brock University, St. Catharines (2013/2014) and Vault/Shield/Buttress/Basin at the Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax (2013). Recent group shows include Young Canadian Painters at Idea Exchange – Cambridge Art Gallery, Cambridge (2014) and The Painting Project at Galerie de l’UQAM, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal (2013). Catalogues and reviews include essays by James D. Campbell, Robert Enright, Leah Sandals, Jonathan Shaughnessy and R.M. Vaughan. A publication of Authier’s Rodman Hall exhibition is forthcoming (Fall 2015). Authier was the recipient of the Honourable Mention Prize for the 9th Annual RBC Painting Competition 2007. Authier’s paintings are in numerous national and international collections, including Canada House, London (UK), National Gallery of Canada, Carleton University Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Guelph, Humber Institute of Technology and Learning, RBC, TD Canada Trust Collection, Lotto-Quebec, BMO, Desjardins, McCarthy Tetrault and the Government of Foreign Affairs.
