Alfred Laliberté
Encyclopedia
Alfred Laliberté was a Canadian sculptor and painter
based in Quebec. His output includes more than 900 sculptures in bronze
, marble
, wood
, and plaster
. Many of his sculptures depict national figures and events in Canada and France like Louis Hebert
, François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, Adam Dollard des Ormeaux
, and the Lower Canada Rebellion
. Although he produced hundreds of paintings as well, he is chiefly remembered for his work as a sculptor.
in the district of Arthabaska
, Laliberté was the son of Joseph Laliberté, a farmer, and Marie Richard. From an early age he began learning the agricultural trade and he initially intended on working in the family business. He began sculpting as a hobby at the age of 15. His work drew the attention of the Honourable Wilfrid Laurier
who encouraged him to enter the Conseil des arts et manufactures (CAM) in Montreal. It was largely through Laurier's attention that Laliberté earned his father's approval to enter the CAM in 1896. In 1888 he won first prize at the Québec City Provincial Exhibition for his life size sculpture of Laurier.
In 1902 Laliberté entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
in Paris at the age of 23. While there he became friends with his compatriot, the painter Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté. He returned to Canada in 1907 where he began producing works that showed a marked influence of the sculptor Auguste Rodin
.
In 1922 Laliberté joined the faculty of the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
(now a part of the Université du Québec à Montréal
). Alfred Laliberté
cofounded the Sculptors Society of Canada in 1928 with Frances Loring, Florence Wyle
, Elizabeth Wyn Wood
, Wood's teacher and husband Emanuel Hahn
and Henri Hébert. Between 1928 and 1932 he produced 215 small bronze sculptures depicting legends, customs and rural activities of the past and present history of the pioneers of Canada. On June 22, 1940, he married Jeanne Lavallee. He died in Montreal in 1953 and is buried in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
. He wrote three manuscripts about his life and works, Mes mémoires, Réflexions sur l'art et l'artiste, and Les artistes de mon temps, all of whioh were published together in 1978 under the title Mes souvenirs.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
based in Quebec. His output includes more than 900 sculptures in bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, and plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
. Many of his sculptures depict national figures and events in Canada and France like Louis Hebert
Louis Hébert
Louis Hébert is widely considered to be the first Canadian apothecary as well as the first European to farm in Canada. He was born around 1575 at 129 de la rue Saint-Honoré in Paris to Nicolas Hébert and Jacqueline Pajot...
, François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, Adam Dollard des Ormeaux
Adam Dollard des Ormeaux
Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, , also known as Adam Daulaut, Daulac, or simply as Dollard des Ormeaux, was a colonist and soldier of New France...
, and the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
. Although he produced hundreds of paintings as well, he is chiefly remembered for his work as a sculptor.
Life and career
Born in Sainte-Élisabeth-de-Warwick, QuebecSainte-Élisabeth-de-Warwick, Quebec
Sainte-Élisabeth-de-Warwick is a parish municipality in Quebec.The municipality is located in the Township of Warwick mainly in the western part of range IV. Sainte-Élisabeth-de-Warwick is a parish municipality in Quebec....
in the district of Arthabaska
Arthabaska (electoral district)
Arthabaska is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The riding was created in 1890 from a part of Drummond-Arthabaska which existed since 1867...
, Laliberté was the son of Joseph Laliberté, a farmer, and Marie Richard. From an early age he began learning the agricultural trade and he initially intended on working in the family business. He began sculpting as a hobby at the age of 15. His work drew the attention of the Honourable Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
who encouraged him to enter the Conseil des arts et manufactures (CAM) in Montreal. It was largely through Laurier's attention that Laliberté earned his father's approval to enter the CAM in 1896. In 1888 he won first prize at the Québec City Provincial Exhibition for his life size sculpture of Laurier.
In 1902 Laliberté entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
in Paris at the age of 23. While there he became friends with his compatriot, the painter Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté. He returned to Canada in 1907 where he began producing works that showed a marked influence of the sculptor Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
.
In 1922 Laliberté joined the faculty of the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal was an educational institution founded in Quebec in 1922. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society was instrumental in its creation....
(now a part of the Université du Québec à Montréal
Université du Québec à Montréal
The Université du Québec à Montréal is one of four universities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Basic facts:The UQAM is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québec , a public university system with other branches in Gatineau , Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, and...
). Alfred Laliberté
Alfred Laliberté
Alfred Laliberté was a Canadian sculptor and painter based in Quebec. His output includes more than 900 sculptures in bronze, marble, wood, and plaster. Many of his sculptures depict national figures and events in Canada and France like Louis Hebert, François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, Adam Dollard...
cofounded the Sculptors Society of Canada in 1928 with Frances Loring, Florence Wyle
Florence Wyle
Florence Wyle was an American-born Canadian sculptor and designer. She practiced chiefly in Toronto, living and working with her partner sculptor Frances Loring...
, Elizabeth Wyn Wood
Elizabeth Wyn Wood
Elizabeth Wyn Wood was a Canadian sculptor, born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Wood studied sculpture at the Ontario College of Art and at the Art Students League of New York...
, Wood's teacher and husband Emanuel Hahn
Emanuel Hahn
Emanuel Otto Hahn was a German-born Canadian sculptor and coin designer. He taught and later married Elizabeth Wyn Wood. He co-founded and was the first president of the Sculptors' Society of Canada....
and Henri Hébert. Between 1928 and 1932 he produced 215 small bronze sculptures depicting legends, customs and rural activities of the past and present history of the pioneers of Canada. On June 22, 1940, he married Jeanne Lavallee. He died in Montreal in 1953 and is buried in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Founded in 1854, Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is a 343-acre cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of chemin Côte-des-Neiges and up the slopes of Mount Royal...
. He wrote three manuscripts about his life and works, Mes mémoires, Réflexions sur l'art et l'artiste, and Les artistes de mon temps, all of whioh were published together in 1978 under the title Mes souvenirs.
Works
| Title/Subject | Public Office | Artist | Date Painted/Created | Medium |
| Robert Borden Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office... |
Prime Minister | Alfred Laliberté Alfred Laliberté Alfred Laliberté was a Canadian sculptor and painter based in Quebec. His output includes more than 900 sculptures in bronze, marble, wood, and plaster. Many of his sculptures depict national figures and events in Canada and France like Louis Hebert, François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, Adam Dollard... |
1915 | Marble |
| Adam Dollard des Ormeaux Adam Dollard des Ormeaux Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, , also known as Adam Daulaut, Daulac, or simply as Dollard des Ormeaux, was a colonist and soldier of New France... |
colonist and soldier in Ville Marie, New France New France New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763... |
Alfred Laliberté Alfred Laliberté Alfred Laliberté was a Canadian sculptor and painter based in Quebec. His output includes more than 900 sculptures in bronze, marble, wood, and plaster. Many of his sculptures depict national figures and events in Canada and France like Louis Hebert, François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, Adam Dollard... |
1923 (circa 1911-1915) | Bronze |
Works
- Alfred LalibertéAlfred LalibertéAlfred Laliberté was a Canadian sculptor and painter based in Quebec. His output includes more than 900 sculptures in bronze, marble, wood, and plaster. Many of his sculptures depict national figures and events in Canada and France like Louis Hebert, François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, Adam Dollard...
's La Corriveau (1928-32) is a statue of Marie-Josephte CorriveauMarie-Josephte CorriveauMarie-Josephte Corriveau , better known as "la Corriveau", is one of the most popular figures in Québécois folklore. She lived in New France, and was sentenced to death by a British court martial for the murder of her second husband, was hanged for it and her body hanged in chains...