Trained in the great tradition of academic art in Montreal, with his master and mentor, Alphonse Lespérance, who had himself been trained at the Conservatory of Rome where, among other painters and sculptors, he practised the restoration of Vatican works.

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The artist's parents formed an exogamous couple, meaning that the father, an Italian immigrant, spoke English and the mother spoke French, a situation which made the artist perfectly bilingual. Navigating between the Francophone and Anglophone communities with ease, he was an excellent ambassador of the Francophonie to the francophiles and anglophones he met. Indeed, he was highly appreciated by the two official linguistic communities of Canada wherever his work as an artist and artist-educator took him.

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Convinced and convincing, Clément Bérini believed in art as a means of expression and personal expression was the way forward for self-fulfillment. A man of deep thoughts, endowed with a great sense of humour and capable of sharp but above all benevolent repartee, Clément Bérini was involved in all artistic fights in French Ontario from the end of the sixties until his death. Within the Ontario Arts Council, at the Bureau des arts francophone), and the artistic groups in which he participated during his career (eg, network of educational galleries, Perspectives 8, BRAVO-Nord) he calls for exhibition spaces, artist fees and more funding for the work of artists in schools and communities. He emphasizes the contribution of the arts to the identity of Franco-Ontarians, and also to the economy of a community.

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You can find out more in this detailed account of the life, career, and contribution of Clément Bérini.