Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at 2:37 a.m. on October 26, 1959, in the midst of a cold war and on the eve of a cultural revolution, Pol Turgeon early on acquired a charming habit of walking backwards. Seeing the turbulence of the world from this perspective enamored him to the artistic life. As a young boy he was precociously obsessed with drawing and creating paper sculptures. It wasn’t until after a design and illustration scholarship sent him to the University of Concordia in Montreal and a stint at the School of Visual Arts in New York that Turgeon decided upon a career in illustration. After ten years of research and experiment with different techniques and mediums, the iconoclastic images that would become Turgeon’s signature took form. This opened the way to a prolific production of artwork used in high profile magazines, as well as annual reports, posters, book covers, and just about any surface that could bear the imprint of such irreverent testimonials to the underbelly of contemporary culture. Of no surprise to most, though a pleasant shock to his mother, Turgeon’s work was repeatedly honored with distinguished awards from competitions world-wide and was reproduced in countless design annual including the prestigious American Illustration Book, Communication Arts, 3X3, and Print magazines.
His artwork appeared throughout Issue 21.2 – Summer/Fall 2009.
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