Born in 1961, Annick Bourgeau is a Montréal sculptor with a degree in industrial design from the Ontario College of Arts in Toronto. She has produced a number of figurative sculptures portraying historical figures, among them a monument to Jean Lesage at the National Assembly in Québec City, and a bust of Raoul Dandurand in the lobby of the former Simpson building at 977 Rue Saint-Catherine West in Montréal. She collaborated with the sculptor Jules Lasalle to produce the statue of Maurice Richard installed at the entrance to the Maurice-Richard Arena, near the Olympic Stadium.
Sculptor and modeller Jules Lasalle lives and works in Montréal, where he directs the studio Attitude enr. In 1979, he completed a bachelor’s degree in visual arts at the Université du Québec à Montréal. From 1981 to 1983, he undertook a number of sculpture internships in Paris at establishments such as the École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués, Les Ateliers Hervé Cappelli, and the Ministère de la Culture. He has produced a number of other works of public art in Montréal, including Hommage à Marguerite Bourgeoys (1988), on Rue Notre-Dame East, and Monument à Maurice Richard (1997), at the entrance to the eponymous arena.
Artwork description
When the Maurice Richard Arena was renovated, the Maurice Richard Foundation commissioned this likeness of the famous Montréal hockey player. It adorns the small square situated in front of the arena’s main entrance, on Rue Viau.
It is a full-round bronze sculpture. Maurice Richard is portrayed in the heat of the action, wearing his skates and holding his hockey stick. He wears sweater no. 9 of the Montréal Canadiens hockey team. The legendary performances of “the Rocket” are inscribed in the dimensions of the sculpture, which is larger than life size.