Leo Mol
Encyclopedia
Leo Mol, OC
, OM
(January 15, 1915 – July 4, 2009) was a Ukrainian Canadian
artist and sculptor.
Born Leonid Molodozhanyn in Polonne
, Ukraine
, Mol studied sculpture at the Leningrad Academy of Arts
from 1936 to 1940. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union
he moved to Germany where he was influenced by Arno Breker
. In 1945, he moved to The Hague
, and in December, 1948, he and his wife, Magareth (whom he married in 1943), emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
More than three hundred of Mol's works are displayed in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park
. The garden was unveiled in 1992 and has been expanded twice since. It is supported by private donations, and Mol personally donated most of the sculpture.
He was always known as a particularly prolific artist and some of his most famous works include likenesses of three different Popes which stand in museums in the Vatican. He also has a sculpture of Taras Shevchenko
on display on Washington’s Embassy Row.
Other important subjects who Mol sculpted include members of the Group of 7
, A. J. Casson
, A.Y. Jackson and Frederick Varley
. Mol also sculpted Sir Winston Churchill
1966, Peter Kuch, Dwight D. Eisenhower
1965, John F. Kennedy
1969, Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook
ca. 1970, Terry Fox
1982. On Parliament Hill in Ottawa stands his impressive over life-size standing portrait figure of Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker 1985 Also on Parliament Hill stands an impressive bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth II.
Mol died July 4, 2009, at the Tache Centre medical facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was 94.
. In 2000, he was awarded the Order of Manitoba
. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
.
He received honorary degrees from the University of Winnipeg
, the University of Alberta
and the University of Manitoba
.
Mol's was also made an Honourary Academician of the Canadian Portrait Academy
(Hon. CPA) in 2000.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, OM
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
(January 15, 1915 – July 4, 2009) was a Ukrainian Canadian
Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2006, there were an estimated 1,209,085 persons residing in Canada of Ukrainian origin, making them Canada's ninth largest ethnic group; and giving Canada the world's third-largest...
artist and sculptor.
Born Leonid Molodozhanyn in Polonne
Polonne
Polonne is a city on the Khomora River in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Polonskyi Raion , and is located at around .The current estimated population is around 23,211 ....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Mol studied sculpture at the Leningrad Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
from 1936 to 1940. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
he moved to Germany where he was influenced by Arno Breker
Arno Breker
Arno Breker was a German sculptor, best known for his public works in Nazi Germany, which were endorsed by the authorities as the antithesis of degenerate art....
. In 1945, he moved to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, and in December, 1948, he and his wife, Magareth (whom he married in 1943), emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
More than three hundred of Mol's works are displayed in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park
Assiniboine Park
Assiniboine Park is a park in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was established in 1904 and is located north of the Assiniboine Forest. Today, it covers , of these are designed in the English landscape style....
. The garden was unveiled in 1992 and has been expanded twice since. It is supported by private donations, and Mol personally donated most of the sculpture.
Works
In 2002, his sculpture Lumberjacks was featured on a Canadian postage stamp.He was always known as a particularly prolific artist and some of his most famous works include likenesses of three different Popes which stand in museums in the Vatican. He also has a sculpture of Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
on display on Washington’s Embassy Row.
Other important subjects who Mol sculpted include members of the Group of 7
Group of Seven (artists)
The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
, A. J. Casson
A. J. Casson
Alfred Joseph Casson, OC was a member of the Canadian group of painters known as the Group of Seven. He joined the group in 1926 at the invitation of Franklin Carmichael...
, A.Y. Jackson and Frederick Varley
Frederick Varley
Frederick Horsman Varley, also known as Fred Varley , was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven artists.-Early life:Varley was born in Sheffield, England. He studied art in Sheffield and in Belgium...
. Mol also sculpted Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
1966, Peter Kuch, Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
1965, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
1969, Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook
Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook
Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook, CM, O.Ont was a Canadian portrait sculptor, medal designer and liturgical artist...
ca. 1970, Terry Fox
Terry Fox
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox , was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research...
1982. On Parliament Hill in Ottawa stands his impressive over life-size standing portrait figure of Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker 1985 Also on Parliament Hill stands an impressive bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth II.
Mol died July 4, 2009, at the Tache Centre medical facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was 94.
Honours
In 1989, he was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. In 2000, he was awarded the Order of Manitoba
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...
.
He received honorary degrees from the University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
, the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
and the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
.
Mol's was also made an Honourary Academician of the Canadian Portrait Academy
Canadian Portrait Academy
The Canadian Portrait Academy , is a professional Canadian art academy dedicated to the practice and appreciation of portraiture within Canada and abroad.-History:...
(Hon. CPA) in 2000.