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Lions (Kemeys)

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Coordinates: 41°52′46.0″N 87°37′26.8″W / 41.879444°N 87.624111°W / 41.879444; -87.624111
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Lions
The northern sculpture in 2006
Map
ArtistEdward Kemeys
Year1893; 131 years ago (1893)
MediumBronze sculpture
SubjectLions
LocationChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°52′46.0″N 87°37′26.8″W / 41.879444°N 87.624111°W / 41.879444; -87.624111

Lions is a pair of outdoor 1893 bronze sculptures by Edward Kemeys, installed outside the Art Institute of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois.[1][2] The sculptures are well-recognized public artworks.

Description

The sculptures are modeled after African lions.[3] Each sculpture weighs more than two tons.[3][4][5] The northern sculpture weighs approximately 5,100 pounds (2,300 kg).[6] Today, the bronze sculptures have a green patina.[7]

The sculptures stand outside of the Art Institute of Chicago Building.[4] The artist, Kemeys, described the statues as "guarding the building."[8] He described the northern lion as positioned "on the prowl," and said that it "has his back up, and is ready for a roar and a spring." He described the southern lion as positioned "in an attitude of defiance" and "attracted by something in the distance which he is closely watching."[4][5][8] Kemeys referred to the design of the southern sculpture as "the most difficult I have ever attempted."[9]

The sculptures have occasionally been referred to as the "great protectors".[10]

History

The sculptures are often described as being bronze re-castings of temporary plaster lion sculptures that were displayed on the grounds of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, flanking the Palace of Fine Arts (today's Museum of Science and Industry building).[5][8] However, documents and photographs from the World's Fair support the lions displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition having been instead created by A. Phimister Proctor and Theodore Baur, not Kemeys.[11] The bronze sculptures for the Art Institute of Chicago were commissioned by Florence Lathrop Field, an early benefactor of the museum.[5] Fields' late husband Henry Field had been an admirer of Kemeys' sculptures, and her brother Bryan Lathrop, a trustee of the Art Institute, had been a patron of Kemeys.[12]

After the board of trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago had made a decision for there to be guardian lion sculptures outside of the new museum building, the president of the board of trustees, Charles L. Hutchinson, favored commissioning such as work from one of a dozen better-known sculptors. Those considered included Augustus Bauer, Daniel Chester French, Frederick William Macmonnies, Philip Martiny, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.[12] Bryan Lathrop wrote him in September of 1892, strongly recommending he choose Kemeys. Lathrop proposed having his sister, Florence Lathrop Field, acquire and gift the Art Institute such sculptures.[12] Lathrop stated that Field had wanted to donate them anonymously. However, in voting to accept the gift on January 31, 1893, the board of trustees executive committee also voted to thank the donor.[12] The sculptures were cast in Chicago by the American Bronze Founding Company in 1893,[4] and were unveiled on May 10, 1894.[4][3]

The sculptures are regarded to be iconic features of Chicago.[13] The Chicago Lions rugby union team, founded in 1964, is named for the statues.[14] They are, nowadays, decorated in the winter holiday season with wreaths and bows in an annual "wreathing of the lions" ceremony.[5] Often, when a Chicago major league sports team is making a strong postseason run, the sculptures will be adorned to show support for the team.[5] In late April 2020 (amid the COVID-19 pandemic), mock-ups of a surgical mask were placed on the sculptures in order to bring public attention to health safety measures implemented in Illinois at the time that required masking in public. A mock-up of a mask was similarly placed on the Chicago Picasso. Within a day vandals had removed one of these masks, which was quickly replaced.[15][16] An unofficial Twitter account exists for the sculptures.[13]

In 2018, as part of the public art exhibit Statue Stories of Chicago, QR codes were installed near each statues. If scanned scanned, the codes would allow the lions to "speak",[17] with one being voiced by Mandy Patinkin and the other by Tracy Letts.[3]

In 2020, the base of the northern sculpture was vandalized, with the words "inside mania" spray painted beneath the statute. A woman was criminally charged for the vandalism.[15][18] In July 2021, the northern sculpture itself was vandalized with spray painted tagging.[19]

The sculptures have on infrequent occasion been removed temporarily in order to receive conservation work (such as cleaning and waxing). The most recent two instances of this were in 2022 an 2001.[13] A time capsule was placed after the 2001 conservation work, accompanying a much older time capsule that is also concealed by the sculptures. During the 2022 conservation work, the time capsules were temporarily removed, being returned unopened when the sculptures were reinstalled after the work. Furthermore, the south sculpture was found to have two Indian Head cent underneath it, which were temporarily removed during the 2022 conservation work and again returned to their place underneath the sculpture when it was reinstalled.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Landmark Lion Gets Change Of Scenery". Chicago Tribune. 2000-02-15. Archived from the original on 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  2. ^ "Lions at the Art Institute of Chicago, 1894". cultureNOW. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Hautzinger, Daniel (7 December 2018). "The Story of the Art Institute's Iconic Lions". WTTW Chicago. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Lion (One of a Pair, South Pedestal)". The Art Institute of Chicago. 1893. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Myers, Quinn (2 October 2019). "Ask Geoffrey: The History of the Art Institute Lions". WTTW News. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  6. ^ Sheridan, Jake (14 June 2022). "Art Institute Lions Head for a Steam and a Wax, Field Museum Dino Goes to Dumpster". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  7. ^ Kemeys, Edward (1893). "Lion (One of a Pair, South Pedestal)". Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Lions | Chicago Park District". www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Chicago Park District. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  9. ^ Jones, Paul (21 November 2018). "The Lions of Michigan Avenue". www.artic.edu. Art Institute of Chicago. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  10. ^ Multiple sources:
  11. ^ "Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World's Fair? (Pt 1)". Chicagos 1893 Worlds Fair. 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  12. ^ a b c d Funigiello, Philip J. (1994). Florence Lathrop Page: A Biography. University of Virginia Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-8139-1489-3. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Art Institute Lions return to posts after deep-cleaning, "Cleaner and Greener Than Ever"". CBS News. 19 July 2022.
  14. ^ "History". Chicago Lions Rugby. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Woman Charged With Vandalizing Art Institute Lion Statue". Chicago Sun-Times. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  16. ^ Multiple sources:
  17. ^ Thometz, Kristen (18 May 2018). "30 Chicago Statues to Keep Talking Through 2020". WTTW News. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Woman Charged With Vandalizing Art Institute Lion's Base". Chicago Tribune. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  19. ^ Sruett, David (16 June 2021). "Chicago Art Institute lion Tagged With Spray Paint". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Art Institute's Iconic Bronze beasts — Now 'Shinier' — Return Home". Chicago Sun-Times. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2024.

External links

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