Nathalie Bondil

Director and Chief Curator

Nathalie Bondil is an art historian and a graduate of the École du Louvre and the Institut national du patrimoine in Paris. She was appointed Director of the MMFA in 2007, after having held the position of Chief Curator for seven years. Since then, the Museum has grown at a truly impressive rate, with the addition of two new pavilions and a twofold increase in attendance—a record for Canada. Her approach to the conception, production and exportation of exhibitions has been particularly dynamic on the international scene. Her multidisciplinary programming encompasses fashion and music, and makes more room for contemporary art and world cultures. In 2011, thanks to the addition of a fourth pavilion dedicated to Quebec and Canadian art, some 4 000 works of art were redistributed in a “reinvented Museum” comprising a large decorative arts and design pavilion, a concert hall and a sculpture garden. A major donation from the Hornstein Old Masters collection provided the impetus for further expansion: in late 2016, a fifth pavilion dedicated to international art and education, the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion for Peace, will open its doors. Nathalie Bondil initiated the doubling of educational and community spaces at the Museum, along with numerous pilot programs in health and social action research. Toward the end of 2016, the Museum will open its International Atelier for Education and Art Therapy, the largest of its kind in North America. Awarded the distinction of Dr. Honoris Causa by McGill University and the Université de Montréal, Nathalie Bondil is also a member of the Order of Canada and a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec. She has received the Prix Camille-Laurin from the Office québécois de la langue française, a medal from the Centre Jacques Cartier, the Prix Samuel de Champlain from the Institut France-Canada, and the badge of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République française.