The Albert Gilles Copper Museum, or better known under the french title “Cuivre D’Art Albert Gilles”, is one of our top picks for sights worth visiting when taking a trip to Quebec City.
This museum showcases Albert Gilles talented skills, as well as introduces visitors to the world of copper mining. It offers intricate detail into the trade of Copper Art, and features artifacts collected around the world.
As a visitor of the museum, one gets to “discover the mysterious atmosphere of a copper mine” and “see the copper bearing rocks”. It is a breathtaking experience, unique to the offerings of this museum.
Tell me more about Copper Art…
The art of metal is known as “embossing”. It is an art disappearing in modern society; and small venues, like this featured museum, are working hard to keep it alive.
Starting with an idea and a drawing, the outlines of that drawing are then transferred to a sheet of metal. Using fine tools and bare hands, artists carve into the sheet metal. This is an art perfected with years upon years of practice.
And who exactly is Albert Gilles?
Albert Gilles, paris-born tradesman, mastered the art of sheet metal embossing at a young age in France. In the 1930’s, he embarked on a journey, travelling across the Atlantic Ocean to North America to try his trade in a new land.
Touching ground in North America, he was a great success. He began working for several churches across the continent, and eventually his clientele included names such as Walt Disney and Pope Pius XII. He went beyond working for these acclaimed customers, and even helped design and repair the roofing of the famous Chateau Frontenac.
As his clientelle grew, so did his fame. Gilles became a well-recognized and appreciated tradesman. He decided to open his own business, and thus became the Albert Gilles Copper Art Museum.
Where is this museum?
Today, Gilles’ family carries on is business. The museum, located in Chateau Richer, Quebec, is approximately a 20 minute drive north-east from the city of Quebec. This small, quaint town is a great afternoon excursion, the Albert Gilles Copper Museum being the highlight. The museum is open 9-5 and caters to all ages.
