Fresque des Québécois trompe-l’œil mural by CitéCréation, Rue Notre-Dame, Old Québec, Québec City, Canada
Fresque des Québécois
CitéCréation, with Hélène Fleury, Marie-Chantal Lachance and Pierre Laforest · “Fresque des Québécois”, trompe-l’œil mural, inaugurated 17 October 1999 · gable of the Maison Soumande, 29 Rue Notre-Dame, by Place-Royale, Québec City
Photo as published on Street Art Utopia; photographer not named
The houses, the stairs, the stone gateway and the people in the windows are all paint on one flat gable in Old Québec. The studio CitéCréation designed and painted the Fresque des Québécois with Hélène Fleury, Marie-Chantal Lachance and Pierre Laforest, for the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec, and it was inaugurated on 17 October 1999. About fifteen historic figures look out from it, from Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain to Félix Leclerc.
5 things to know
- Inaugurated in 1999The Commission de la capitale nationale: “La gigantesque murale a été inaugurée le 17 octobre 1999 par la ministre de la Culture et des Communications, madame Agnès Maltais, lors d’une grande fête populaire à Place-Royale.” (inaugurated by Culture Minister Agnès Maltais at a big public party). CCNQ · Wikipédia
- Twelve painters, two countriesThe plaque at the wall: “la réalisation de cette fresque en trompe-l’œil a réuni douze artistes du Québec et de France” (the making of this trompe-l’œil brought together twelve artists from Québec and France). HMDB
- Faces in the windowsQuébec City’s tourism office: “Look closely at the building’s windows: you’ll see some 15 historic figures and nearly a dozen of Québec’s leading writers and artists.” Québec Cité · CCNQ
- A Lyon ideaCitéCréation says the idea came when the head of the Commission visited Lyon, struck by how alike the two cities are, and the project was aimed at Québec City’s 400th anniversary. CitéCréation
- A panel added in 2010In August 2010 a showcase of the Commission’s projects was painted into the lower left corner, featuring the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain, guides and gardeners. CCNQ
Check-in guide
- 📍
- At the foot of the wall of the Maison Soumande, Rue Notre-Dame, in the Parc de La Cetière, by Place-Royale and Côte de la Montagne (CCNQ, Québec Cité). Address given as 29 Rue Notre-Dame (Québec Cité, HMDB).
- 🧭
- The Maps button opens the HMDB position of the plaque at the wall, at Rue Notre-Dame and Rue du Porche (46.81355, -71.20316).
- 🖼️
- The Fresque du Petit-Champlain, 102 Rue du Petit-Champlain, is a short walk away at the foot of the Breakneck Steps (Québec Cité).
Sightings
- 199917 Oct
Inaugurated
- 2010Aug
Corner panel added
- 20194 Aug
HMDB photos
- 202311 Jul
In city mural guide
Every stamp links to the dated source. The green stamp is a set of photos taken at the wall on 4 August 2019 and posted on the Historical Marker Database with the plaque. The amber stamps are records: the inauguration on 17 October 1999, the corner panel added in August 2010, and Québec City’s tourism guide to its murals, updated on 11 July 2023. The photo at the top of this page was published on Street Art Utopia; it shows the 2010 corner panel at lower left. We found no dated photo newer than 2019.
On the record
Fresque des Québécois
“La Fresque des Québécois rend aussi hommage à une quinzaine de personnages historiques et honore des dizaines d’auteurs et d’artistes dans ses vitrines évocatrices.”
“The Fresque des Québécois also pays tribute to some fifteen historic figures and honours dozens of writers and artists in its evocative shop windows.”
Fresque murale des Québécois – QUÉBEC
“Conçu et réalisé en 1999 par CitéCréation, ce trompe-l’œil de 450 m2, dans une peinture représentant des éléments d’architecture du Vieux-Québec, et souligné par l’intensité des saisons, rend hommage à des personnages célèbres qui ont marqué l’histoire de la ville.”
“Designed and made in 1999 by CitéCréation, this 450 m² trompe-l’œil, painting elements of Old Québec’s architecture and heightened by the intensity of the seasons, honours famous figures who marked the city’s history.”
13 Murals to See in Québec City
“This mural recounts the story of Québec City, weaving in visual allusions to its unique architecture and fortifications, and its larger-than-life personalities.”
The facts
- Artist
- CitéCréation, with the participation of Hélène Fleury, Marie-Chantal Lachance and Pierre Laforest (CCNQ, Québec Cité, CitéCréation) Checked
- Title
- “Fresque des Québécois” (CCNQ, Québec Cité, HMDB) Checked
- Made
- 1999; inaugurated on 17 October 1999 (CCNQ, Québec Cité, CitéCréation, Wikipédia) Checked
- Size
- 420 m² according to the Commission and Wikipédia; 450 m² according to CitéCréation. We lean towards 420 m², the figure given by the Commission that commissioned the wall (CCNQ, CitéCréation, Wikipédia) Conflicting
- Commission
- Co-produced by the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec and SODEC (CCNQ, CitéCréation) Checked
- Place
- Wall of the Maison Soumande, Rue Notre-Dame, Parc de La Cetière, by Place-Royale (CCNQ, Québec Cité) Checked; 29 Rue Notre-Dame (Québec Cité, HMDB) Checked
- Figures
- About fifteen historic figures, among them Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, Frontenac, Alphonse Desjardins, Thaïs Lacoste-Frémont and Félix Leclerc (CCNQ, CitéCréation, Québec Cité) Checked
- Our photo
- Shows the mural as described by its makers: young hockey players, a guitarist and the Octave Crémazie bookshop, with the 2010 corner panel at lower left; photographer not named (CitéCréation, CCNQ, HMDB) Checked
- Status
- Seen August 2019 in dated photos (HMDB) Checked; still listed by the Commission and the tourism office (CCNQ, Québec Cité) Checked
Related
- On Street Art Utopia: Not Really There (7 Photos) (10 October 2026), where the photo above appears as work no. 3.
- Thirteen murals to see in Québec City, including the Fresque du Petit-Champlain. Québec Cité
- The Commission’s other murals in the capital. Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec
All sources (5)
This work
- Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec: “Fresque des Québécois”, undated. Place, 420 m², co-producers, inauguration 17 October 1999, 2010 corner panel, artists.
- Québec Cité: “13 Murals to See in Québec City”, updated 11 July 2023. Artists, 1999, 29 Rue Notre-Dame, figures in the windows.
- CitéCréation: “Fresque murale des Québécois – QUÉBEC”, project page. 1999, 450 m², Lyon origin, figures, partners.
- Wikipédia: “Fresque des Québécois”, last edited 25 August 2026. 420 m², inaugurated 17 October 1999.
Dated photos
- Historical Marker Database: “La Fresque des Québécois / The Mural of Quebecers”, photos by Cosmos Mariner, 4 August 2019. Plaque text, position.
Artwork File · Last checked 10 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files