It’s no secret that Montrealers love public art. Whether it’s the city’s “joie de vivre” or the fact that we have the most artists per capita in the entire country, we are fortunate enough to have such amazing art in the form of murals, sculptures, graffiti art, etc.

This blog post will focus on my favourite murals of the city. Obviously, I was born and raised in the eastern part of Montreal so I have an evident bias towards murals in areas that I frequent. Art is subjective and some of my choices not only value the actual mural itself but its strategic placement.

So here are a few of the many murals that I love here in the city:


May An Old Song Open a New World (2015) - Gene Pendon & Bryan Beyung 

This colourful and vibrant mural,
located at the entrance of Chinatown next to one of the Saint-Laurent arches, may just be my favourite mural of the city. Two Asian Montrealers collaborate to pay homage to the rich Chinese heritage that helped shape the area and Montreal by symbolically depicting a female Chinese opera singer with two masks. I only wish that it was not located on the noisy and heavily-trafficked René-Lévesque boulevard…

Tower of Songs, hommage à Leonard Cohen (2017) - El Mac & Gene Pendon

Granted that this is an obvious choice but notorious Crescent Street will never be the same with the addition of this stunning portrait of the late singer songwriter born here in Montreal. I really like the colour added right by Cohen’s heart where his hand can be found. While I like being close to it by having a drink on one of the many terraces found on Crescent street, I love hiking up to the Kondiaronk belvedere on Mont Royal to admire its beauty from afar. 

Walla Volo - Ola Volo (2019)

Bigger is better in this case. It’s 15000 feet tall and one of the largest murals made by a woman in Canada! Quite the accomplishment for this former Montreal resident. I just love when murals suddenly appear like this one that can be found amongst many factory shops of the Mile End. Skaters rejoice as you can enjoy your favourite sport while admiring this piece of public art during the winter.

Le 6e Sphère de la Culture (2008) - Dominique Desbiens

Slight bias here having seen this immense mural many times during my Little Italy tour. How can one not be amazed by this strikingly beautiful image of a woman depicting Mother Nature surrounded symbolically by its continents? It’s all about living together and embracing our differences for this one.

ASHOP Crew - Jackie Robinson (2017)

It’s only fitting that Jackie Robinson, the first black player ever to play in major league baseball, get his own mural. The lesser-known fact is that Robinson first played for the Montreal Royals in 1946 before making the jump to the big leagues. You’ll find this mural at the corner of Saint-Laurent boulevard and Napoleon where you can also find yet another Leonard Cohen mural, as well as the legendary Schwartz’s to get your smoked meat fix!

The Murals of Habitations Jeanne-Mance : Air du Temps (2012) - Phillip Adams

Here’s a novel concept: take low-income housing and paint murals that represent the four seasons in Montreal and the four natural elements. My favourite of the eight is Air du temps showing a gorgeous blue sky with buildings that were torn down to build the housing. As an added bonus is Montreal’s unofficial symbol: orange construction cones! Anybody who lives in Montreal knows that we are faced with never-ending construction with countless detours.

Ashop Crew & artist Ankhone - untitled (2021)

I was hanging out frequently in the Hochelaga Maisonneuve area for two years when I first started dating my girlfriend. This great mural showing pollinators can be found at the corner of Charlemagne street if you follow the fun Luc Larivée walking promenade that once had a railroad train track! Artist Ankhone creates a harmonious mural blending itself well with its environment.

Check out this video showing how the mural was made: https://fb.watch/auWVLQUN9i/ 

If you are a lover of murals and graffiti art, I strongly encourage you to visit Montreal during two eye-popping festivals. It starts with the Under Pressure festival which can boast being the oldest urban culture festival that has been running since 1996. 

For lovers of murals, there is the incomparable Mural Festival which normally takes place in late June. Saint-Laurent boulevard becomes a pedestrian zone where you can see artists create murals directly in front of you during the festival. 

You can use a few online tools to help you find these murals such as the Public Art Montreal site. Of course, you can also always contact me to book a private tour of these murals! You can also write to me at ronny@rontreal.com for any private tour inquiries.