Urban art and frescos, Quebec

the highways with their overpasses and underpasses usually are pretty ugly under all that concrete. Not here. They've got their supports holding up the highways painted all sorts of different things here.

Walking from the bus station to the right, you'll see the network of highways taking you here and there. As you get closer, you'll notice all the concrete supports are painted. Some old time roman themes, some in many other themes. It makes an area that is usually not so pretty, rather interesting. They've all been done up very nice. So next time you walk by here, stop and check it out. Nice job Quebec.

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I have already made a tip about Quebec City's frescoes in my "Things to Do" section, but the frescoes underneath the Dufferin-Montmorency Highway are worthy of a tip of their own, if only for their unusual location. In fact, when I talked about these frescoes to some of my friends from Quebec City, they had no idea what I was talking about: this shows how little they are known.

Known as the "Fresques des piliers" (Pillars' Frescoes), they were painted between 2000 and 2002. There are now a dozen of them decorating what would otherwise be the very unattractive part of town between the Saint-Roch district and the bus terminal.

The pillars are located on Saint-Paul Street.

There is a lot of public sculpture in both old and new Quebec. There is even a sculpture park at the museum.
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The national government also takes public sculpture seriously:
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/5/h5-428-e.html

You won't miss this when you are walking around but I just didn't want to put it in a travelogue. I think it looks pretty and the painter did a good job.

There is a lot of public sculpture in Quebec City -- this one of a bobcat springing is on Blvd Rene Lesveques across from the Quebec parliament building.