Statue of Elizabeth II (Winnipeg)

Last updated

Statue of Elizabeth II
Statue of Elizabeth II (Winnipeg)
Artist Leo Mol
Year1970 (1970)
Medium Bronze
Subject Elizabeth II
Dimensions2.73 m(9.0 ft)
Location Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Coordinates 49°53′04″N97°08′44″W / 49.88441°N 97.14550°W / 49.88441; -97.14550

A statue of Elizabeth II by Leo Mol was installed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Contents

Description

The bronze sculpture [1] of Elizabeth II is 2.73 metres (9.0 ft) tall. [2] [3]

History

Leo Mol completed the statue in 1970. The sculpture was originally installed in the Steinkopf Gardens at the Centennial Concert Hall, in downtown Winnipeg. [4] [5] [6]

Although Mol had most of his bronze works cast in Germany, he did also perform some of his castings himself, in his studio. “Among the many casts done there was a giant nine foot figure of Queen Elizabeth for the City of Winnipeg – an astonishing achievement for a homemade foundry.” [7]

In July 2010, Elizabeth II visited Winnipeg to rededicate the statue, which was relocated to the Government House grounds. [8] Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh also attended the dedication ceremony. [4]

The sculpture, along with another depicting Queen Victoria, was toppled on Canada Day, [9] 1 July 2021, following the Canadian Indian residential schools gravesite discoveries. [10] The statue of Elizabeth II was brought down by and left covered in yellow rope, as well as covered in red paint. [1] [11] [12] Although both queens were constitutional monarchs, meaning they did not make policy or law and were bound to follow the advice and direction of their ministers and parliamentarians, and Canada had ceased to be a colony of Britain in 1931, meaning Elizabeth II reigned in Canada distinctly as Queen of Canada, the protesters who tore the statues down were said to have believed Elizabeth and Victoria represented Canada's colonial history. [13] [14]

As of July 2022, the statue of Elizabeth II was being restored while the statue of Queen Victoria was damaged beyond repair and will not be replaced. [15] The statue was put back in place on 2 June 2023, the 70th anniversary of Elizabeth II's coronation. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnipeg</span> Capital city of Manitoba, Canada

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. As of 2021, Winnipeg had a city population of 749,607 and a metropolitan population of 834,678, making it Canada's sixth-largest city and eighth-largest metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government House (Manitoba)</span> Building in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Government House of Manitoba is the official residence of the lieutenant governor of Manitoba, as well as that in Winnipeg of the Canadian monarch. It stands in the provincial capital, on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building, at 10 Kennedy Street; unlike other provincial Government Houses in Canada, this gives Manitoba's royal residence a prominent urban setting, though it is surrounded by gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valour Road</span> Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Valour Road is a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) street in the West End area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Originally called Pine Street, it was renamed Valour Road in 1925 to recognize three young men—Corporal Leo Clarke, Sergeant-Major Frederick William Hall, and Lieutenant Robert Shankland—who all lived in the 700-block and individually received the Victoria Cross for acts of bravery during the First World War.

Maitland Bernard Strauss Steinkopf was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1962 to 1964, and again from 1964 to 1966. Steinkopf was a cabinet minister in the government of Dufferin Roblin, the first Jewish cabinet minister in Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Mol</span> Canadian artist

Leonid Molodozhanyn, known as Leo Mol, was a Ukrainian Canadian stained glass artist, painter and sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitoba Legislative Building</span> Building in Manitoba, Canada

The Manitoba Legislative Building, originally named the Manitoba Parliament Building, is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, located in central Winnipeg, as well as being the twelfth provincial heritage site of Manitoba. Along with the Legislative Assembly, the building also accommodates the offices for Manitoba's Lieutenant Governor and the Executive Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assiniboine Park</span> Regional park in Tuxedo (Winnipeg), Canada

Assiniboine Park is a park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, located along the Assiniboine River.

Manitoba Centennial Centre is an arts and cultural district that covers a 34-acre area in the east Exchange District of the Point Douglas area in Winnipeg, Manitoba, linking several of Manitoba's important arts and cultural facilities. It includes the Centennial Concert Hall, the Manitoba Museum, Planetarium and Science Gallery, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Manitoba Production Centre, Artspace, three nearby surface parking lots, and the building at 11 Lily Street. Founded as an urban renewal program in 1960, the Centre now sees 930,000 patrons annually at its venues. The Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation (MBCCC)—a Manitoba Crown corporation established in 2005—manages the centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarchy in Manitoba</span> Function of the Canadian monarchy in Manitoba

By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, Canada's monarchy operates in Manitoba as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within Manitoba's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in Right of Manitoba, His Majesty in Right of Manitoba, or the King in Right of Manitoba. The Constitution Act, 1867, however, leaves many royal duties in Manitoba specifically assigned to the sovereign's viceroy, the lieutenant governor of Manitoba, whose direct participation in governance is limited by the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy.

In Canada, a number of sites and structures are named for royal individuals, whether a member of the past French royal family, British royal family, or present Canadian royal family thus reflecting the country's status as a constitutional monarchy under the Canadian Crown. Those who married into the royal family are indicated by an asterisk (*). Charles Edward Stuart was a pretender to the British throne.

In Canada, a number of monuments have been erected to honour royal individuals, whether a member of the past French royal family, British royal family, or present Canadian royal family, thus reflecting the country's status as a constitutional monarchy under the Canadian Crown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial to Queen Victoria, Leeds</span> Public sculpture by George Frampton

A Memorial to Queen Victoria stands in Woodhouse Moor, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Queen Victoria (Winnipeg)</span> Public sculpture by George Frampton

A statue of Queen Victoria formerly stood on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actions against memorials in Great Britain during the George Floyd protests</span> Protest-related actions

A number of statues and memorials were the subject of protests and petitions during the George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Hans Christian Heg</span> Statue of former Union soldier and abolitionist Hans Christian Heg

Hans Christian Heg is a statue by Paul Fjelde that was cast in 1925 and installed at the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin, United States in 1926. The bronze statue depicting the Union soldier and abolitionist Hans Christian Heg was torn down by rioters, decapitated and thrown into a lake in June 2020. The Wisconsin state government restored and reinstalled the original statue in September 2021.

A number of monuments and memorials in Canada were removed or destroyed as a result of protests and riots between 2020 and 2022. These included six sculptures of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, three of other figures connected to the Canadian Indian residential school system, two of Canadian monarchs, one of the British explorer Captain James Cook and one of John Deighton, a bar-owner whose nickname inspired the name of Vancouver's Gastown district.

The 2002 royal tour of Canada by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, and her consort Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, took place from 4 to 15 October 2002. The Queen and the Duke toured the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the territory of Nunavut in celebration of her Golden Jubilee as Canada's Queen.

References

  1. 1 2 Sinclair, Leah (3 July 2021). "Boris Johnson condemns protesters who defaced Queen statue in Canada". Evening Standard . ISSN   2041-4404. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  2. "Leo Mol". University of Manitoba – Libraries. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. "ACCOMPLISHED ARTIST: Leo Mol was Manitoba's best-known and most honoured sculptor". Winnipeg Free Press . 7 July 2009. ISSN   0828-1785. OCLC   1607085. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2021. His works around the city include the nine-foot Queen Elizabeth II in the courtyard of the Manitoba Centennial Centre...
  4. 1 2 "Self-Guided Walking Tour" (PDF). Manitoba Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  5. "Steinkopf Gardens". Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  6. "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Queen Elizabeth II Statue (Kennedy Street, Winnipeg)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  7. Duval, Paul, Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, Leo Mol Sculpture Garden Trust,Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 1993, p 78
  8. "Queen visits Winnipeg today". Grand Forks Herald . Forum Communications Company. 2 July 2010. ISSN   0745-9661. OCLC   1751382 . Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  9. SINGH, KANISHKA (2 July 2021). "Statues of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II toppled in Winnipeg". The Globe and Mail . The Woodbridge Company. Reuters. ISSN   0319-0714. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  10. "Statues of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth toppled in Winnipeg on Canada Day". Toronto Sun . Postmedia Network. ISSN   0837-3175. OCLC   66653673. Archived from the original on 5 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  11. "2 statues of queens toppled at Manitoba Legislature". CBC News. 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  12. Morris, Jim (3 July 2021). "Statues of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria toppled in Canadian protests". The Sydney Morning Herald . Nine Entertainment. ISSN   0312-6315. OCLC   226369741. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  13. Cecco, Leyland (2 July 2021). "Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II statues toppled in Canada amid anger at deaths of Indigenous children". The Guardian . OCLC   60623878. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  14. Goldstein, Caroline (2 July 2021). "Canadian Protesters Toppled Statues of Queens Victoria and Elizabeth II to Protest the Commonwealth's Treatment of Indigenous Peoples". ARTnews . Penske Media Corporation. ISSN   0004-3273. OCLC   586878190. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  15. "Queen Victoria statue beheaded by protesters can't be repaired, Manitoba government says". CBC News . Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  16. Lambert, Steve (2 June 2023). "Statue of Queen Elizabeth repaired and reinstalled at Manitoba legislature, 2 years after vandalism". CTV News. Retrieved 2 June 2023.