 In 1950 she went to view an art show "L’Exposition des Rebelles" (despite being largely condemned by her professors) and befriended the show organizer Jean-Paul Mousseau – this was her introduction to the circle of Borduas and the Automatistes.Soon thereafter, she left l'Ecole des Beaux-Art.Paul-Émile Borduas (the main force behind the libertarian manifesto Refus Global) was probably the greatest influence to Rita’s life as a painter – he believed self-knowledge was the key to producing highly personal work.