Early Life and Academic Training

Born in Quebec City in 1966, Christine Major began her formal engagement with the visual arts through a rigorous academic path in Canada. Her early intellectual development was shaped by a dual focus on the practice of making art and the critical study of its history. This foundation allowed her to approach the canvas with both a technical sensibility and a theoretical depth that would define her later professional life.

Her studies took her to the University of Ottawa, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. This period of training was marked by a comprehensive pursuit of knowledge, as she also obtained a second Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specific specialization in the theory and history of art. This combination of studio practice and academic inquiry provided the structural framework for her evolving perspective on the image.

Major continued her advanced training at the Université du Québec à Montréal, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts. This academic progression eventually led her to a career in academia, where she serves as a professor at the École des arts visuels et médiatiques de l’UQAM. Her transition from student to educator reflects a life deeply embedded in the institutional and intellectual structures of the Quebecois art scene.

Artistic Style and Thematic Focus

Major’s practice is a rigorous investigation into the ways mediated images shape the human experience. She examines the intersection of popular culture and advertising, probing how these visual currents influence our perception of reality. Her paintings often function as unsettling and uncertain spaces, where the boundaries between the private sphere and the public gaze become permeable. By hybridizing various genres and pictorial styles, she constructs a visual language that challenges the stability of the images we consume daily.

The female figure serves as the primary subject of her inquiry. Through her canvases, she explores the complexities of identity and the social constructions imposed upon women. This focus frequently leads her to address the heavy, often obscured, themes of domestic violence and the psychological impact of societal representation. Her work does not merely depict these subjects; it seeks to understand the tension between the body and the chaotic forces of the modern world.

In her series Crash Theory, she draws upon iconography of calamity—ranging from vehicular accidents to historical disasters—to explore the impact of sudden, mediated violence. This thematic thread connects her earlier explorations of anxiety to a broader study of how images of disorder and degradation affect the individual. Her approach remains deeply rooted in the tension between the physical presence of the body and the fragmented nature of the images that define contemporary life.

Exhibitions and Professional Career

Major’s professional life is defined by a sustained presence within the Canadian institutional landscape. She has realized approximately twenty solo exhibitions across the country, establishing a consistent dialogue with both public and private spaces. Her career has been marked by significant participation in group exhibitions, such as "Her Story Today" at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts from 2015 to 2016, and "The Disorderless of Things" at Galerie de l'UQAM in 2015.

Beyond her practice in the studio, she has dedicated much of her career to academia. She currently serves as a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal, teaching within the École des arts visuels et médiatiques. This dual role as both practitioner and educator allows her to engage deeply with the evolving complexities of contemporary visual culture and the mechanics of image production.

• La Vitesse, from the Crash Theory series (about 2000)

Where to See the Works Today

The presence of Christine Major’s paintings in major institutional collections reflects the enduring relevance of her inquiries into the human condition. Her work is held by the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in Quebec City, where her pieces are part of a significant regional record. In Montreal, her art is included in the collection of the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, ensuring her visual language remains accessible within the urban landscape of Quebec.

Beyond the museum walls, her paintings have found a place within the private and corporate spheres of Canada. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec maintains works by the artist, as do several prominent financial institutions, including Banque TD and Banque Nationale du Canada. These placements suggest a widespread recognition of her ability to navigate complex social and psychological themes through the medium of paint.

Other significant holdings include pieces within the collections of Hydro-Québec and Colart. These various locations, from public galleries to corporate archives, preserve her contributions to contemporary visual art. Her work remains distributed across these diverse settings, marking her place in the ongoing dialogue of Canadian art.