George William Hill (sculptor)

George William Hill
George William Hill (circa 1920)
Born8 May 1861
Died17 July 1934
Outremont (Montreal)
Known forsculptor
SpouseElsie Annette Kent

Early life and family

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George William Hill RCA (1861 – 1934) was one of the Canada's foremost sculptors during the first half of the 20th century because of his numerous public memorials.[1] He was elected in 1917 as a full member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.[2][3]

The son of George Taylor Hill and Eleanor A. Carty

Career

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Hill was born in Shipton, Eastern Townships, Canada East, the son of a marble cutter. He began to carve marble in his father's workshop and worked there for eight years and he became a chief sculptor[4] then went to Paris in 1889 to study at the École nationale des beaux-arts with Alexandre Falguière,Jean Paul Laurens,[5] Henri Chapu at the Académie Julian and Jean-Antoine Injalbert at the Académie Colarossi.[3] He returned to Canada about 1894 and worked with the architects William Sutherland and Edward Maxwell.[3] By 1897, was producing monuments. In 1902 he had won his first commission, the Strathcona and South African soldiers' memorial.[3] Many commissions followed such as Sir George-Étienne Cartier (1912), marking the centenary of Cartier's birth.

Selected public exhibitions

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Selected war memorials

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  • The Lion of Belfort, 1897;
  • Boer War Memorial (1907), Montreal;
  • The Monument to the Heroes of the Boer War (1912), London, Ontario;[5]
  • The Sir George-Étienne Cartier Monument (1919);[5]
  • The Canadian Nursing sisters' memorial in the Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Hall of Honour, near the entrance to the Parliamentary Library (1926);[5]
  • Sherbrooke War Memorial, 1926;[5]
  • War Memorial, Harbord Collegiate School,286 Harbord St., Toronto, Ontario;[5]
  • War Memorial, Pictou, Nova Scotia;[5]
  • War Memorial, Westmount, Montreal, Quebec;[5]
  • Charlottetown Veterans Memorial at Province House, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.[5]

Selected public collections

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Works

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Monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier in front of Mount Royal during winter in Montreal (1919)
 
Boer War Monument, George William Hill, Victoria Park, London, Ontario

References

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  1. ^ Rosalind M. Pepall. "The Architecture of Edward & W.S. Maxwell: Craftsmen and Decorative Artists". McGill John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  2. ^ "Members since 1880". Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Joanne Chagnon, “HILL, GEORGE WILLIAM,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 16, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed December 24, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hill_george_william_16E.html.
  4. ^ a b c "Article". canadianmilitaryhistory.ca. Canadian Military History. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada
  6. ^ McMann, Evelyn (1981). Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  7. ^ "Collection". www.gallery.ca. National Gallery of Canada. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Collection". artpublicmontreal.ca. City of Montreal. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Collection". collections.mnbaq.org. MNBAQ. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Collection". tms.artgalleryofhamilton.com. Art Gallery of Hamilton. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Collection". agnes.queensu.ca. Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Collection". dlheritage.com. Heritage Canada. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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Further reading

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