Born in Hungary in 1919, the Canadian sculptor Paul Lancz studied at the Budapest School of Fine Arts and worked for three years with the internationally renowned Hungarian sculptor Szigmond Kisfaludy Strobl. Lancz moved to Canada in 1956. Much of his production consisted of busts of well-known politicians and artists. In 1967, he presented a bust of Israeli prime minister David Ben Gurion to the Israel Pavilion for the Montréal World Fair. Among the other busts that he produced were those of eminent Montréal figures, including Abraham Bronfman, Armand Frappier, Alexis Nihon, and René Lépine. He died in Montréal in 2005.
Artwork description
Sitting on a granite pedestal, the bronze bust of Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger is presented in the square named after him, on Boulevard René-Lévesque. The cardinal is portrayed in one of his church habits and has a benevolent expression on his face.
The artist made the first version of this bust in 1984. However, it was not designed for exhibition in an outdoor context. With a view to integrating the bust into the new square created in honour of the hundredth anniversary of the cardinal’s birth, the decision was made in 2007 to make a copy of the original artwork.