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CMC 95-59 - CD97-316-061
1995 RECIPIENT

Louise Genest — Bookbinder

Montreal — Quebec

Binding for Je me souviens 1992
(George Simenon, author; Jean Reschofsky, artist;
Les Presses de la Cité, Paris, publisher, 1945; 1053/1100)
Full boxcalf, exposed central cord, sculpted boards
with inlays, onlays and stencilled top edge
24.7 cm x 16.2 cm x 3 cm
CMC 95-59 (Bronfman)


Louise Genest
It's very important to pass on what you know, to pass on new things, things you found out. If I tell my "secrets" very quickly, then I have to find some new secrets. And so, it keeps me always on the edge — always trying something else. Passing on information is one part of your obligation of being a professional; you have to give back to your milieu.

Louise Genest began her artistic career when she signed up for a bookbinding course while in Paris on a year's sabbatical. Returning to Montreal, she continued to improve her skills, studying with Monique Lallier, then spending another six years in Canada and New York, improving her techniques in both book restoration and conservation.

In 1983, she founded the Association des relieurs du Québec (Quebec Bookbinders' Association), created the ARQ Journal, and served as the Association's president for three years. Genest is an active participant and guest speaker in the international bookbinding community. She has lectured and attended workshops in England, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, North Africa, Japan and the United States.

Her work and reputation have earned her the title of Master Bookbinder, granted by the German-based International Meister der Einbandkunst Association. Genest has won many awards including the Grand prix des métiers d'art du Québec, and the Canadian Bookbinders' and Book Artists' Guild Design Award. In 1995, Genest staged an exhibition of miniatures, representing 2,000 years in the history of bookbinding, at the Galerie des métiers d'art du Québec. This was the first solo exhibition of bookbinding in Quebec since 1979.

Louise Genest continues to be an active member of the Board of Directors for the Conseil des métiers d'art du Québec.



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