 Art historians and critics often consider that he cut his career short working for the Archives, as the commissions involved religious, historical and political themes, restricting and repressing the inner creativity of an artist like Beau.Multiple reasons can perhaps explain this decision such as the appointment of Arthur George Doughty as the Dominion Archivist, and Keeper of the Records, who Beau admired for his encouragement and his "laissez-faire" attitude.In 1900, he received the bronze medal at the World Fair in Paris for his painting "La Dispertion des Acadiens", depicting the expulsion of the Acadians.