Anne-Marie Matte. Fabric Artist. Saint-Basile-de-Portneuf, Quebec. Maker of Needle Paintings (Peintre a l’Aiguille). Active 1930’s to c. 1960.
Anne-Marie Matte began working with her needle around 1925. By the early 1930’s she was producing her remarkable ‘Needle Paintings’ for the Canadian Handcrafts Guild galleries in Toronto and Montreal, as well as the Gallery L’Auberge du Faubourg in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, managed by Leonard Bourgault (one of the family of sculptors). She worked with Silk thread on Linen and preferred working traditional Quebec scenes; often establishing working relationships with formal artists. Horatio Walker was one such artist who took an interest in the work of Mlle Matte. She gained an international reputation; in New York (showing at the 1939 World’s Fair) and in Europe and England. She was a medal winner at the 1952 International Art Fair in Washington, DC. She signed her works: “Anne – M. Matte” in Silk thread in the lower right and always had a label with the title and her name including her married name (Desrosiers) on the reverse of the frame.
Many of her works were of those traditional Quebec scenes and customs documented by Edmond Massicotte in his books of prints, and by other ethnologists working in that field. She also made portraits of people at work and playing.
An Example of her work (Photo Galarie Molinais):
Anne Marie Matte. St-Basile-de-Portneuf, Quebec. (after Horatio Walker)
Another of A Monk in the Wine cellar:
Anne-Marie Matte.The Monk.
The Label:
Anne Marie Matte. The Monk the label.
(Ref: Artisans du Quebec. Jean-Marie Gauvreau, Les Editions du Bien Public, Montreal, Quebec,1940.)
(Ref: Nos Canadiens D’Autrefois. Edmond-J. Massicotte, Librairie Granger et Freres, Montreal. 1923.)
