Ciel Variable, Issue 133, September 2026.
Jacques Rivest, Phyllis Lambert’s Butler
Jacques Rivest has served as Phyllis Lambert’s butler for nearly 36 years. I first met him in 1996 at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, where I was working part-time as a bookseller. Even then, Jacques Rivest’s role fascinated me, as it demanded a strict code of conduct and unwavering standards of etiquette, discretion, and excellence.
I soon envisioned making a documentary about this humble and likeable man, both invisible and ever-present. I wanted to understand what leads someone to devote an entire lifetime to the service of another person. I found myself questioning the boundary between emotional attachment and a strictly professional relationship.
Thirty years later, I finally have the opportunity to make this short documentary. It consists of a filmed interview and a series of photographs portraying a typical day in the life of Jacques Rivest.
Phyllis Lambert (born January 24, 1927) is a Quebec architect, philanthropist, and activist of international renown. A member of the influential Bronfman family, she is recognized worldwide as an architect, author, researcher, lecturer, curator, architectural critic, engaged citizen, and founder of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal, as well as for her role in preserving Montreal’s architectural heritage.
The documentary opens with Jacques Rivest at his post in the Tate House (1865), located on Bonsecours Street. Phyllis Lambert purchased the building in 1974 to save it from demolition. She restored it as her residence, emphasizing open spaces, natural light, and the original materials. The house also became the CCA’s first home.
The penultimate photograph in this series shows Jacques Rivest standing in front of the Shaughnessy House (1874). Phyllis Lambert acquired this grand Victorian residence in 1974 to prevent, once again, the demolition of an important heritage building. Following its restoration, the house became the CCA’s administrative pavilion. In 1989, a modern addition was attached, housing exhibition galleries, archives, the library, the study centre, the bookstore, and other museological departments.
01_Jacques Rivest at his workstation in the main gallery on the ground floor. In the background is a series of photographs by Richard Pare from the portfolio The Grey Stones of Montreal.
02_Main gallery of the residence, ground floor.
03_Folding camp bed for moments of extreme fatigue.
04_Great Hall (atrium) featuring Melvin Charney’s sculpture In Search of Pliny.
05_Jacques Rivest on the telephone with a supplier regarding an upcoming reception.
06_Small kitchen adjacent to the atrium.
07_Jacques Rivest bringing a cup of warm milk requested by Phyllis Lambert.
08_Jacques Rivest speaking with Phyllis Lambert, who is standing at the top of the staircase on the second floor.
09_The conversation concludes with a happy outcome.
10_Max in the pneumatic elevator.
11_Jacques Rivest welcoming Max for his first morning walk.
12_A brief twenty-minute morning walk.
13_Max’s morning relief break on Bonsecours Street.
14_Jacques Rivest wearing his ever-present beret on Bonsecours Street.
15_Jacques Rivest playing the role of detective during a surveillance operation.
16_Jacques Rivest near Bonsecours Market.
17_Jacques Rivest on his way to the Canadian Centre for Architecture.
18_Jacques Rivest in front of the Victorian Shaughnessy House, the CCA’s administrative pavilion.
19_Jacques Rivest in the CCA Sculpture Garden on René-Lévesque Boulevard West.