Introduction

At the heart of Canada's cultural diplomacy in France, the Canadian Cultural Centre celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2020. 

As Ambassador of Canada to France and Monaco, I am extremely proud to present the exhibition Image… Sent. 

To mark our half-century, we have chosen to erase borders. First, the one between the material and the virtual, with this first-ever digital exhibition. Then, that between professional artists and image-takers of all kinds, by offering Canadian and French citizens the opportunity to be exhibited alongside major Canadian artists, who, over the years, have contributed, in close connection with our institution, to the influence of Canadian culture in France. And finally we have chosen to celebrate to the long-standing friendship between Canada and France by erasing the great border between our countries that is the Atlantic Ocean, thanks to images sent by citizens in both countries, inviting each other into their respective worlds.

I would like to congratulate the artists from all provinces and territories of Canada who contributed to the exhibition, and whom I am delighted to see again in our Centre. 

I would like to thank the citizens of Canada and France, among whom we find many hidden talents and professional artists, who sent us their photos, like postcards crossing the ocean.

Finally, I wish a very happy birthday to the Canadian Cultural Centre in France which, for fifty years, has offered our French friends a unique showcase of the vitality of artistic voices, languages and living cultures in Canada.

Isabelle Hudon
Ambassador of Canada to France and Monaco