Paul Tex Lecor

Paul "Tex" Lecor was born in Saint-Michel-de-Wentworth, Quebec, on June 10, 1933, to a Breton father and a Quebec mother. He trained at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal in the early 1950s, studying under renowned professors including Jacques de Tonnancour and Stanley Cosgrove. After completing his formal art training, Lecor embarked on an interlude of many years as a singer, songwriter, comedian, television and radio animator, and advertising spokesperson. During the 1960s, he became an essential star of Quebec song and remained a beloved figure in Quebec popular culture for six decades.

At the end of the 1980s, Lecor returned to painting and fully dedicated himself to it, rapidly becoming highly regarded as a visual artist. His work featured forest and country scenes, as well as images of camaraderie in taverns and other everyday settings. Lecor's artistic work drew from what he called "the strength of ordinary images"—people without grand stories, country folk, and free spirits with their own ideals of freedom. His paintings reflected a vast body of popular imagery meant to be understood and felt, never leaving the concerns of an unpretentious and unchanging man regardless of the form his work took.

Over a career spanning more than forty years, Lecor created works that are now found in important art galleries and collections around the world. Despite his success in multiple fields, nothing satisfied him as much as being alone in his studio to paint. Affectionately nicknamed "Tex" by his many friends and throughout Quebec, Lecor remained a versatile man of many talents and dualities throughout his life.