Exhibition

Hyperrealism: This Is Not a Body

About

Featuring some forty breathtakingly realistic pieces by 35 artists from Québec, Canada and abroad, Hyperrealism: This Is Not a Body explores how the human figure has been depicted in sculpture from the 1970s to the present day.

This uniquely designed exhibition brings together sculptures by pioneers of the genre and renowned artists such as:

Berlinde De Bruyckere
Duane Hanson
George Segal
Ron Mueck
Patricia Piccinini
Carole A. Feuerman
Sam Jinks
Maurizio Cattelan and much more

The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec presentation is also enriched by creations by Québec and Canadian artists who are part of this artistic movement that straddles the edge of reality: Alain Benoit, Stanley Février, Louis Fortier, Milutin Gubash, Karine Payette, and Mark Prent.

Sculptures that confront us with our own humanity

Acting as mirrors of the human condition, these pieces reveal the transformations in society and our relationship with the body over the last fifty years. These artists’ illusionist approach gives substance to reflections on the human experience.

Their works address universal themes such as childhood, old age, loneliness, self-perception, the passage of time, and death, while offering critical perspectives on contemporary society that go far beyond the challenge of mere verisimilitude.

Throughout the tour, a selection of videos has the artists themselves reveal to visitors some of the secrets behind the works.

An international tour: from Bilbao to Québec City

This touring exhibition, which began in 2016 at the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao, Spain, and has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, has also been shown in Monterrey, Taipei, Brussels, Paris, Rome, and Osaka, among others. Organized and toured by the Institut für Kulturaustausch in Tübingen, Germany, it is now stopping in Québec City for the first time on Canadian soil.

Information

From February 26, 2026 until October 12, 2026

Access to exhibitions requires a Musée admission ticket.

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Exhibition at a glance

Woman and Child (detail)

Sam Jinks, 2010
Andy Warhol

Kazu Hiro, 2013
Panagiota: Conversation #1, Variation 2

Evan Penny, 2008
The Comforter

Patricia Piccinini, 2010
Lily

Jamie Salmon, 2013
Untitled (Man in a sheet)

Ron Mueck, 1997
Cornered (detail)

Marc Sijan, 2011
Stalion

Alain Benoit, 2003
American Icon-Kent State

John DeAndrea, 2015
De part et d'autre

Karine Payette, 2016
Cette chaire

Stanley Février, 2017-2019
Entrance to the exhibition hall
Family tour of the exhibition
Family tour of the exhibition in front of Sam Jinks' work Woman and Child

In the media

“it brings together works that are so realistic that you could be forgiven for thinking that the piece you are looking at is real”

Julia Caron

CBC Radio One

Listen

Activities

Workshop

Mimétisme

Workshop by Karine Payette

From March 2, 2026 until March 6, 2026

Included in Musée admission
- School Break
- Families
- Coming soon
Guided tour

Plus vrai que nature

Guided tour

10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:45, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30 and 15:00

From March 2, 2026 until March 6, 2026

Included in Musée admission
- Families
- School Break
- Coming soon
Conference

Hyperrealism. This Is Not a Lecture

19:00

March 25, 2026

Member : $8 | Regular: $12 | Ages 18-30: $8
Guided tour

Stroller museum tour

Stroller museum tour

10:15

Until April 10, 2026

Member: $7 | Regular: $10
- Families
- Coming soon
Guided tour

Guided tour of Hyperrealism. This Is Not a Body

13:30, 15:00 and 19:00 (wednesdays)

Until October 11, 2026

Free
No reservation required
- Limited places
- In French
- Coming soon
Guided tour

Guided tour of Hyperrealism. This Is Not a Body

For Members Only

10:30 and 14:30

From April 10, 2026 until April 26, 2026

Free
Reservation required
- Limited places
- In French
- Coming soon

Partner

An exhibition conceived and toured by the Institut für Kulturaustausch, and adapted by the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.

Hyperrealism is an artistic trend that emerged in the 1960s in the United States as painters and sculptors broke with abstraction to cultivate this new form of realism inspired by contemporary society.

Drawing inspiration from the special effects used in cinema, these artists use innovative materials such as silicone, fibreglass, and resin to recreate the appearance and textures of the human body in great detail. The technical precision with which bodily details of these pioneers and subsequent generations of artists is such that their works seem to confront us with real-life replicas.

This exhibition showcases the pioneering hyperrealists whose work has had a significant impact on the evolution of sculpture in the last fifty years.

At a time when the art scene in the United States was dominated by abstraction, American artist Duane Hanson was one of the first to create sculptures that imitated the real presence of “ordinary people” with uncanny verisimilitude. The exhibition includes Two Workers (1993) and Bodybuilder (1985–1990), sculptures based on live models and complete with clothing and accessories.

John DeAndrea, his counterpart, relies on complex moulding techniques in search of perfect realism and is inspired by the codes of classical statuary. New Yorker George Segal, active in the 1960s, made a name for himself worldwide with his monochrome sculptures featuring figures moulded from life and engaged in familiar activities against a backdrop of real objects.

The exhibition also explores the evolution of hyperrealist sculpture and brings together other major artists who continue this quest for realism, including Sam Jinks, Ron Mueck, and Marc Sijan.

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Access to exhibitions requires a Musée admission ticket.
Save up to $3 by purchasing your ticket online!
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Access to exhibitions requires a Musée admission ticket.
Save up to $3 by purchasing your ticket online!
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Hyperrealism: This Is Not a Body

About

Sculptures that confront us with our own humanity

An international tour: from Bilbao to Québec City

Woman and Child (detail)

Andy Warhol

Panagiota: Conversation #1, Variation 2

The Comforter

Lily

Untitled (Man in a sheet)

Cornered (detail)

Stalion

American Icon-Kent State

De part et d'autre

Cette chaire

Entrance to the exhibition hall

Family tour of the exhibition

Family tour of the exhibition in front of Sam Jinks' work Woman and Child

In the media

Activities

Mimétisme

Plus vrai que nature

Hyperrealism. This Is Not a Lecture

Stroller museum tour

Guided tour of Hyperrealism. This Is Not a Body

Guided tour of Hyperrealism. This Is Not a Body

Audio Guide

Free

Frequently Asked Questions

Close accordion Open accordion What is hyperrealism?

Close accordion Open accordion Who are considered the first hyperrealist artists?

Close accordion Open accordion Why the title “This is not a body” for the exhibition?

Us

Decorative Arts and Design in Québec

Ilippunga

Contemporary Art in Québec

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