Marcelle Ferron artwork housed at Concordia will soon have a new home at the Montreal Holocaust Museum

A stained-glass artwork featured in Concordia’s public art collection, “The Permanent Memorial for the Six Million Jewish Martyrs of the Nazi Holocaust,” will soon have a new home. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is the patron of the artwork completed in 1970 by Quebec artist Marcelle Ferron, and the organization has donated the piece to the Montreal Holocaust Museum.

Concordia’s public art is an eclectic collection of donations and commissions that feature more than 40 artists. The works include a range of media, including painting, photography, large-scale sculpture, stained glass and kinetic art. The collection is presented across Concordia’s two campuses on building facades, outdoor spaces, tunnels and atria.

Ferron was a renowned painter, stained-glass artist and major figure in the Quebec modern art scene. Known for her bold use of colour and light, Ferron made several contributions to public art and architecture, including pieces at the Vendôme and Champ-de-Mars metro stations. She was an early member of the Automatistes movement in Quebec, led by Paul-Émile Borduas.

Ferron’s floor-to-ceiling stained-glass work was installed in the atrium of the Samuel Bronfman House, located on the corner of Côte-des-Neiges Road and Docteur-Penfield Avenue on the Sir George Williams Campus.

The Samuel Bronfman House opened in May 1970 as the national headquarters of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), established in 1919. It also housed the CJC Quebec regional offices and the CJC National Archives. The Congress turned the building over to Concordia in 1999 when the national office moved to Ottawa and the regional offices relocated. In 2011 CIJA succeeded the CJC.

The building was named for Samuel Bronfman (1891–1971), Jewish community leader, long-time president of the CJC (1939–62), creator of the Seagram’s empire and philanthropist. 

Work to appear at new museum location on Saint-Laurent Boulevard

Eta Yudin, CIJA’s vice-president in Quebec, notes that CIJA is pleased to donate this beautiful and historically significant artwork to the Montreal Holocaust Museum.

“The museum plays such an essential role in educating Quebecers of all ages about the Holocaust and its historical context. This contribution to their remarkable collection reflects our commitment to identifying and supporting institutions that combat hate, racism, and antisemitism while promoting our shared values as Quebecers and Canadians,” Yudin says.

"We are proud to support the museum and its steadfast dedication to documenting and preserving this consequential era of history so that all can learn important lessons from this very dark period. Alongside other partners in the Jewish community, we take seriously our responsibility to support those fighting to safeguard important historical narratives for generations to come.”

“The Montreal Holocaust Museum is proud to enrich its collection with Marcelle Ferron's remarkable stained-glass window dedicated to the memory of the six million victims of the Holocaust,” says Daniel Amar, executive director of the museum.

“This magnificent artwork will fit seamlessly into our new museum, set to open on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in 2026.”

Sandra Margolian, public art lead at Concordia, notes, “I’m very pleased that Ferron’s stained-glass work will be preserved and displayed at the Montreal Holocaust Museum. Its new location in the centre of the city’s cultural sector will allow Montreal residents and visitors to better appreciate this impressive artwork.”

Amar adds, “This stained-glass work will remind countless visitors that history's worst tragedies can be a source of inspiration and creation, giving life to hopeful pieces that sensitively deal with themes of suffering, resilience and justice.”

Learn more about Concordia’s public art collection.