Acclaimed Canadian artist and educator known for his monumental public sculptures, Hugh LeRoy, passed away on January 5, 2022.
Professor LeRoy was the Chair of OCAD University’s (then Ontario College of Art) Sculpture Department in 1969. In 1974, he became an Associate Professor teaching drawing, painting and sculpture in the Department of Visual Arts at York University. He served as both Chair of the Visual Arts Department and the Director of the Master of Fine Arts program. In 2011 he became Professor Emeritus at YorkU.
His fibreglass sculpture, Rainbow was installed outside of Scott Library at York University in 1972 and remains today as part of the institution’s permanent collection. Located in a pool of water, the sculpture's colourful tubular elements reflect strikingly across the water’s surface.
More about Hugh LeRoy
Born in Montréal, Professor LeRoy studied art at Sir George Williams University, which became Concordia University in 1974 after merging with Loyola College.
As a boy of eight, Professor LeRoy took Saturday classes at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, School of Art and Design as a student of under Group of Seven member Arthur Lismer from 1947 to 1952. He later taught at the school and, in 1966, became its Dean.
Included in the Royal Canadian Academy of Art, Professor LeRoy’s works were represented in solo and group exhibitions internationally throughout his distinguished career.
Working in the Modernist style, his major public sculpture commissions can be found at the Justice Building on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the Banff Centre in Alberta and Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, Ontario.
Many of his smaller works, made of limestone, soapstone, bronze, wood and steel are in the permanent collections of Canada’s most important art museums including the National Gallery of Canada.
Photo Source
Cynthia LeRoy
Sources
Art Gallery of York University
Concordia University
National Gallery of Canada
York University