The Musée de la civilisation, often directly translated in English-language media outside Quebec as the Museum of Civilization, is a museum located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It is situated in the historic Old Quebec area near the Saint Lawrence River. It was designed by architect Moshe Safdie, and opened its doors to the public on 19 October 1988.[1]
The previous buildings of the Banque de Paris and the Maison Estèbe, which were situated on Saint-Pierre street, were integrated in the museum's structure. Permanent and temporary exhibitions are held at the museum, usually related to humanities, and virtual exhibitions are also available. The institution also hosts Quartier des découvertes (Discovery Zone), geared towards children, and offers other services such as guided visits, a French America reference centre, shows, souvenir boutiques, a cafeteria, and a leisure room.
Images
Paysage de l'Ile d'Orléans
Louis-Jacques Casault
Winter 2005, Dieu-Tsar-Revolution exhibition
Human Remains Controversy
During the spring of 2021, The Globe and Mail published an article by journalist Kate Taylor about research concerning the museum's large collection of human remains. This collection, on long-term loan from the provincial Ministry of Public Security, includes more than one hundred body parts—such as tattooed skin from a twenty-nine-year old homicide victim named Mildred Brown—taken from the bodies of murder victims by Dr. Wilfrid Derome during the early twentieth century.[2][3][4][5][6]
Exhibitions
Territoires (Territories)
Le Temps des Québécois (People of Québec ... then and Now)
Nous, les premières nations (Encounter with the First Nations)
^Jamie Jelinski, “‘Go and Take a Look at Millie Now’: Murder, Tattooed Remains, and Museum Ethics in Quebec,” in Museums and the Working Class, edited by, Adele Chynoweth, pg. 74-87, London: Routledge, 2021