His mother, Régina Damphousse, died when he was young, and his father, Alfred Pelland, a locomotive engineer,[1] raised their three children.

He won first prizes in advanced courses and earned medals in painting, drawing, sculpture, sketching, anatomy and advertising.

[2] In 1926 Pellan received the first fine arts scholarship in Quebec, which allowed him to spend several years in Paris and visit Venice.

When his scholarship ended, he prolonged his stay in Paris, taking on odd jobs as a graphic designer and poster publisher as well as receiving financial support from his father.

Surrealism began to attract him more strongly: his imagery became more erotic and his paintings, always vivid and striking, became larger, more complex and more textured.

Pellan remained actively engaged with the Surrealist movement, continuing to explore its stylistic techniques and visual motifs throughout his career.

Whereas Borduas advocated for moving beyond public opinion, Pellan aimed to make modern art accessible to collectors and general audiences.

During this brief stay, the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris organized an exhibition of 181 of his works, sponsored by the governments of France and Canada.

[6] Back in Quebec for two years, he resumed his painting classes in 1957 as a professor at the Art Centre of Sainte-Adèle while living in his house in Auteuil, Laval.

His reputation continued to grow among Canadian art experts, he became more widely known through solo and group exhibitions, and he received commissions for murals, which helped establish his fame throughout the country.

The stamp was designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier based on a painting "Blossoming", circa 1950 by Alfred Pellan in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.