Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Archer

The sculpture that has caused the most controversy in the history of Toronto is probably this one, The Archer, by famed artist Henry Moore. When the new City Hall was designed in the 60s the architect had decided on the installation of this piece in the square in front of the city hall but it was considered so avant garde that the city council voted against using public money to buy it. The mayor of that time, Phillip Givens raised private money and the sculpture was finally installed in 1966 and it is now the most loved sculpture in the city.  Moore was so impressed that he donated a huge collection of his works to the Art Gallery Of Ontario where they can now be seen in the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre. And The Archer makes a great place to eat lunch on a sunny day!
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11 comments:

  1. SharonOctober 4, 2012 at 2:45 PM

    That is certainly an interesting piece. I'm afraid I don't see an archer when I see it but, that's okay.

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  2. HalcyonOctober 4, 2012 at 5:03 PM

    Funny what seemed so "avant garde" back then now seems commonplace. I think people would make a stir if you tried to take this sculpture away today! :)

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  3. Paul in Powell RiverOctober 4, 2012 at 5:20 PM

    As soon as I saw the pic in my sidebar I said "Henry Moore". He was certainly prolific, as his work can be seen all over the world it seems. (And I'd still like to see the garden at the OAG!)

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  4. RandyOctober 4, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    Very interesting indeed. That was nice of him to donate his work.

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  5. DebOctober 4, 2012 at 6:14 PM

    Would be great to see a Henry Moore in the city centre, I am used to seeing them at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park with all that space around them.

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  6. hamiltonOctober 4, 2012 at 6:58 PM

    I seem to recall it was described as looking like a chicken with its head cut off. I remember thinking that was funny (though I had never seen a headless chicken).

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  7. PerthDailyPhotoOctober 5, 2012 at 12:50 PM

    How often does that happen Red, sometimes I think people just have to get used to something a bit different. The Archer certainly is a statement piece.

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  8. EG CameraGirlOctober 5, 2012 at 5:52 PM

    How remarkable that something so controversial has become so loved. :)

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  9. AnonymousOctober 5, 2012 at 6:05 PM

    Pretty cool!

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  10. ArtandArchitecture-SF.comOctober 5, 2012 at 6:25 PM

    Love the background. Love it, as you know, he is one of my favorite sculptors.

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  11. JackOctober 6, 2012 at 7:51 PM

    Odd how some things that once were controversial become accepted and beloved. I like this one. It looks like a vertebrae.

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