Assiniboine Park’s Leo Mol Sculpture Garden
Manitoba’s beautiful Assiniboine Park, located in the province’s capital city, Winnipeg, houses a remarkable collection of over 300 bronze sculptures by world famous artist Leo Mol. After producing sculptures on display around the world, it must have been deeply satisfying for artist Leo Mol and his wife Magareth Mol to attend the opening of the sculpture garden in their home city in June 1992.
As a regular visitor to Assiniboine Park’s gorgeous English Garden, I am always drawn to the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, which lies adjacent to the English Garden along its west side. With each visit, I store away another treasured memory of my walk along the pathways. Sometimes I linger to look at the bear and cub On the Move near the pond, sit and look at the Lumberjacks, admire the tilt of the propeller on the Tom Lamb sculpture, or pause to study the Deer and Fawn, motionless in the prairie grass. Each time I visit, I am thrilled and impressed by this outstanding collection.
The Leo Mol Sculpture Garden conjures up images of wilderness, of history, momentous occasions, and everyday life. Each statue, unique and remarkable in its own way, draws the eye and engages the mind while the visitor journeys through the park, around quiet pools of water, along paths carved through the perennial beds, and in the shaded walkways throughout the sculpture garden.
Leo Mol (1915 – 2009) – a post-war shortened version for Leonid Molodozhanyn – was born in a small village in the Ukraine. He worked in his father’s pottery workshop, and went on to study sculpture at the Leningrad Academy from 1936 to 1940. At the end of the war, Leo and Magareth Mol journeyed to Canada, making their home in Winnipeg.
I appreciated the LEO MOL National Film Board video (48 mins). You might like to view it to learn about Leo Mol’s life and art. [www.nfb.ca/film/leo_mol_in_light_and_shadow ]
There are several websites that show photographs and include titles of the Leo Mol collection at Assiniboine Park. Of these, I found the photo galleries online at ManitobaPhotos.com to be useful. [http://www.manitobaphotos.com/mol.htm]
Photographs & Text: NK
Copyright: NK_cookiebuxton.com
Location: Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, Manitoba
To enlarge and view gallery photographs, click on any image. Click on the right side of the image to advance.
