Jean McEwen was born on December 14, 1923 in Montreal, Quebec. At an early age he was fascinated by painting and the qualities of colour, however, he was not formally trained in art. McEwen attended the School of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal. After encouragement by fellow Quebec artist Paul-Emile Borduas, he abandoned this career ambition and spent three years in Paris where he formed associations with Canadian artist Jean-Paul Riopelle and American artist Sam Francis. These alliances enabled McEwen to solidify his style and beliefs as a modernist by exhibiting in Montreal, Toronto, and New York. McEwen's work can be found in many public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Indra Kagis McEwen is a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Centre for Architecture and lecturer at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal.
Laurier Lacroix is associate professor in the art history department of the University of Quebec in Montreal. His work focuses on the historiography of art history, history of collections, the art in Quebec before 1930 with forays into contemporary art. It works regularly as a curator.