Canadian artist Robert-Émile Fortin was born in Hull, Quebec in 1945 to Émile Fortin and Aline Boisvert. Fortin was raised at the Sainte-Therese Orphanage in Alymer, Quebec, the Saint-Joseph Orphanage in Ottawa and spent his summers with his grandmother. In 1968, Fortin entered the Arts faculty at the University of Ottawa and in 1973, held his first exhibition at "L’Amicale Artistique de l’Outaouais", in Quebec. In 1974, he enrolled in night courses at the Ottawa School of Art and shortly afterwards, dedicated his life to his artistic craft.
Fortin participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. In 1989, the Ottawa Art Exchange Gallery showcased what can be considered the most important exhibition of his career, featuring more the one hundred large acrylics on canvas, mixed-media and sculptural installations. In 1997, he moved to the Laurentians, where he would spend the remainder of his life.
Fortin’s style gradually evolved from abstraction to naive folk art. During the second half of his career, Fortin moved to Mulgrave Derry, Quebec where he began to incorporate characteristics traditional to the Quebecois region; the wood stove soon became an important element in his future artworks. As well, he used a variety of mediums such as acrylic, oil, silkscreen print and metallic sculptures, and created installations of collage and charcoal, among others.
Fortin passed away on July 8th, 2004 at 58 years old.
