Silo #5 Project
The Musée d'art contemporain one of three finalists

Montréal, December 8, 2005 - The Musée d’art contemporain wishes, first of all, to thank the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) for the confidence it has shown in us today in selecting our project for a museum of modern art in Silo #5.

Since he was appointed in 2005, Marc Mayer, Director of the Musée d’art contemporain, has been given a mandate to significantly expand the museum, in view of the fact that less than 2% of this major Canadian collection is visible in the current space of the St. Catherine Street building.

The museum of modern art, which would actually be an annex to the current museum, would play several important roles:

. Present, on a permanent basis, a substantial proportion of the 7,000 works in the museum’s collection

. Provide financial leverage toward developing the collection through purchases as well as major donations

. Form a tourist attraction for Montréal, along the lines of the Tate Modern in London which revitalized a whole industrial district, since Silo #5 would be a monument to the industrial development of both Montréal and Canada. 

The partners in this project are Groupe Gueymard and Groupe Cardinal Hardy, along with other prospective public and private partners. The details of the second phase of project development have yet to be confirmed by the Montreal Port Authority.

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Source: Manon Blanchette
Information: Danielle Legentil, Media Relations Officer
Tel.: (514) 847-6232