Museums and galleries in Gaspé

9 museums and galleries in Gaspé, from the big collections to small independent spaces.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Gaspé Regional Museum
Musée de la Gaspésie
The Gaspé Regional Museum's purview cuts a broad swath, covering the rich history, charming culture, and surprisingly vibrant art scene of the region. In the museum's main exhibit, "Gaspésie... A Grand Journey" (Gaspésie... Le Grand voyage), the region's story is told through the mouths of the men and women who shaped it, but that's just the beginning: fans of old-fashioned chanson can peruse a collection of old photos and heirlooms belonging to Mary "La Bolduc" Travers, the so-called "Queen of Canadian Folk Singers" who lived in Newport just down the road, and those interested in the history of the Gaspesian cod fishery — once the linchpin of the area's economy — can step aboard the Gaspésienne No. 20, a historic fishing boat restored and outfitted to its original appearance, and/or strap on a virtual-reality headset and "set out" on Gaspé Bay with a pair of friendly fishermen to learn more. There's also a range of temporary exhibits focusing on more specific aspects of Gaspesian identity (check website for current offerings), extensive archives of documents and artifacts for researchers, an onsite bistro, and a gift shop selling original artwork and gifts produced by local artists and artisans.
Jun-Oct daily 9AM-5PM; Nov-May Wed-Fri 10AM-5PM & Sat-Sun 12:30PM-5PMMuseum entry $11, students (18+ with school ID) and seniors (65+) $9.25, children (6-17) $5.25, children 5 and under free. Virtual-reality film is $6.50 per person. Discounts available for admission to both museum and film and to families; see website for detailed price breakdown
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Gaspé, Birthplace of Canada
Gaspé, Berceau du Canada
Located on the waterfront across from Place Jacques-Cartier, this cluster of about a half-dozen buildings operates as a sort of miniature living-history museum depicting the village of Gaspé as it was around 1900, complete with interpreters in period costume. Tuck in to a nice meal at the tavern, explore the fish warehouse and old general store, tour the Horatio Leboutillier House (the genuine article, built c. 1850), or take off on one of the walking tours of modern-day downtown Gaspé that begin and end here. At the centre of it all is a granite replica of Jacques Cartier's cross, dedicated in 1934 on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his landing.
Wed 9:30AM-6PM, all other days 10:30AM-6PM, late Jun through mid-Sept
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In Memory of Her
En mémoire d'Elle
Located on the grounds of the Gaspé Regional Museum, this concrete statue — the work of Percé native Renée-Mao Clavet — was dedicated in 2013 in honour of the contribution of women to Quebecois history and society. 5 metres (16 feet) in height, the sculpture depicts a pregnant woman in a flowing skirt, with a face designed in an ambiguous way so as to be representative of Francophone, Anglophone, and First Nations women alike. The book and the satchel of traditional medicinal herbs that the figure carries symbolize women's contributions to the fields of education and medicine.
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Jacques Cartier Monument National Historic Site
Lieu historique national du monument à Jacques Cartier
Also situated on the grounds of the museum, with an apropos setting overlooking the bay roughly halfway between In Memory of Her and the museum building itself, is this cluster of six upright granite tablets, carved on one side with bas-relief sculptures depicting Cartier's historic landing at Gaspé on July 24, 1534 — the founding date of the colony of New France — and inscribed on the other with passages from the journals of both Cartier and Father Chrestien Leclerq, who accompanied him on the expedition.
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La Banquise
Situated on the main drag just north of the Gaspé Regional Museum, this retro-style snack bar offers pleasant summery fare — think poutine platters, soft-serve ice cream, hamburgers, and even pizza — in a picturesque setting overlooking Gaspé Bay. Lines can be long on summer weekends and prices are a little high compared to the competition, but the combo "trios" offer a chance to economize. Website in French only.
Sun-Wed 11AM-8PM, Thu-Sat 11AM-9PM, Mar-Sep$10-20
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La Griffonne Art Gallery
Galerie d'Art la Griffonne
Montreal native Pauline Saint-Arnaud is an accomplished watercolourist whose oeuvre is dominated by the placid forest, farmland, and seacoast scenery found all over the Gaspé Peninsula — little wonder, then, that "The Sea and the Coastlines" (La Mer et les bords côtiers) is the title she chose for the permanent solo exhibition displayed at the farmhouse-turned-gallery in L'Anse-au-Griffon, where she spends her summers. Website in French only.
Open early Jun through mid-Oct
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Le Griffon Cultural Centre
Centre culturel Le Griffon
Once a cold storage warehouse where local fishermen stored their catches, this handsome old clapboard building overlooking L'Anse-au-Griffon's harbour is nowadays a multipurpose space — there's a breezy seaside café where local seafood is on the menu, a boutique where Gaspesian artisans sell handmade souvenirs, and above all, the Claude Côté Gallery and Workshop (Atelier-Galerie Claude Côté), where the eponymous artist in residence displays his watercolours during the tourist season. Côté has said of his work "I am inspired by my immediate environment, where 'intellectualism' is forgotten and gives way to the poetry of everyday life, the beautiful freedom of simple things", and that's as apt a way as any to describe the stark beauty of his landscapes and nature scenes. Website in French only.
Mon & Wed-Fri 11AM-9PM, Sat Sun 8AM-9PM, late Jun through late Oct; by appointment other times
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Marie-Josée Gagnon Art Gallery
Galerie d'Art Marie-Josée Gagnon
Working only with a spatula, Marie-Josée Gagnon creates dazzlingly colourful scenes from around her native Gaspé: landscapes, seascapes, and lovely flower paintings where the interplay of colours, light, and shadow are of foremost importance (or, to use her words: "it is the essence of a landscape that I wish to render, rather than a mere imitation of what I see"). In the small gallery in Pointe-Jaune that bears Gagnon's name is displayed not only her work, but also the evocative portraiture of Stella Joncas-Veillet and the abstract-expressionist paintings and sculpted figurines of Estelle Francoeur.
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Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse
Phare de Pointe-à-la-Renommée
Located a short distance west of L'Anse-à-Valleau, the photogenic Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse was built in 1907 to replace a smaller, wood-frame light dating to 1880, and guided ships along their path for nearly 70 years before it was decommissioned and "exiled" (as the locals put it) to the Old Port of Quebec City, where it stood for another three decades in front of the Coast Guard headquarters there. The lighthouse was moved back to its original site in 1998 thanks to a grassroots community effort, and today the striking red tower — along with its reconstructed keepers' quarters and other outbuildings — serves as a museum that contains two permanent exhibitions: "Pointe-à-la-Renommée: The Space of a Lifetime" (L'Espace d'une vie à Pointe-à-la-Renommée) relates the history of the lighthouse itself, the Ascah family who tended it during its operational life, and the small, tight-knit fishing community that surrounded it, while "Marconi and the Story of Radio Communications" (Marconi, histoire des communications et radio) deals with Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless radio who in 1904 established one of North America's first marine radiotelegraph stations at Pointe-à-la-Renommée. Guided tours include both exhibits and end at the top of the tower, with stunning views over the mouth of the St. Lawrence Estuary.
Daily 9AM-5PM, mid-Jun through late Sept$10 for guided tour, $6 each individual exhibit. Children age 6-10 admitted at half price, children 5 and under are free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Gaspé (CC BY-SA 4.0).