Andre Bourgault

Andre Bourgault was active in the mid-20th century. Bourgault worked in his youth as a sailor, lumberjack and woodworker. He began carving in 1929 and in 1932 was invited by his older brother Medard to join the studio that he had established in the village of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli. By 1935, Bourgault had his own workshop. Working with him were the two nephews Alphonse and Leon Toussaint. As his brothers, Medard and Jean-Julien became focused on religious themes and studio work, Bourgault became the only one of the three brothers working in “l’art strictement paysan” (‘strictly folk art’). Eventually, Bourgault taught flat plane carving in his own studio workshops and there were many carvers over the years producing their own wood carvings under the studio imprint.