A bit of background

Founded in 1966 by artist Pierre Ayot (1943-1995), Graff, one of Canada’s first artist collectives, has succeeded in overcoming many challenges and economic crises by finding and/or inventing original solutions. The centre has seen several hundreds of artists pass through its doors. Owing to its unique promotional and creative programming, Graff has enabled a broader public to appreciate and often acquire works of art. Those already familiar with Graff would remember, in particular, its wonderful extravagances from the Éditions Graffofones, to the historic auctions beginning in 1974. They would have experienced additional highlights such as : the Mardi-GRAFF (1977), where artists were invited to dress-up, and disguise themselves in one-of-a-kind costumes of their own creation; the Graff-Dinner (1978), a gigantic book project featuring prints created by 27 members of the studio in which all the printmaking techniques were used for profit; the retrospective at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal and the publication of Le monde selon Graff 1966-1986 (1986); the archiving of its collection of prints, which holds more than 4 000 pieces compiled since 1966; the creation of the Graff Award, in 1995, in memory of Founder Pierre Ayot (1943-1995) and awarded annually to a visual artist at the height of his or her career and, finally, Griff Graff Groff, an event presented at the Maison de la culture Plateau Mont-Royal in 2004, which earned Graff a nomination, that same year, for the Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal.