Lions (Kemeys)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Lions'' is a pair of 1893
bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
s by
Edward Kemeys Edward Kemeys (January 31, 1843 – May 11, 1907) was an American sculptor and considered America's first animalier. He is best known for his sculptures of animals, particularly the Lions (Kemeys), two bronze lions that mark the entrance to the ...
, installed outside of the main entrance to the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. The sculptures are well-recognized public artworks. The sculptures were commissioned by Florence Lathrop Field as a gift to the museum in memory of her late husband Henry Field.


Description

The
bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
s are modeled after African lions. Each sculpture weighs more than two
ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...
s. The northern sculpture weighs approximately . They are approximately in length. Today, the sculptures have a green
patina Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze, and similar metals and metal alloys ( tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes), or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen prod ...
. The sculptures flank the outside of the main entrance to the
Art Institute of Chicago Building The Art Institute of Chicago Building (initial 1893 main-structure built as the ''World's Congress Auxiliary Building'') houses the Art Institute of Chicago, and is part of the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District in the Chicag ...
(home to the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
), being located along the east side of South Michigan Avenue at the road's intersection with East Adams Street in the city of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. The sculptures have occasionally been referred to as the "great protectors". The artist,
Edward Kemeys Edward Kemeys (January 31, 1843 – May 11, 1907) was an American sculptor and considered America's first animalier. He is best known for his sculptures of animals, particularly the Lions (Kemeys), two bronze lions that mark the entrance to the ...
, described the statues as "guarding the building." Both are depicted in active poses. Kemeys described the northern lion as positioned "on the prowl," and said that it "has his back up, and is ready for a roar and a spring." He described the southern lion as positioned "in an attitude of defiance" and "attracted by something in the distance which he is closely watching." Kemeys referred to the design of the southern sculpture as "the most difficult I have ever attempted." Kemeys was a leading figure in America's
animalier An animalier (, ) is an artist, mainly from the 19th century, who specializes in, or is known for, skill in the realistic portrayal of animals. "Animal painter" is the more general term for earlier artists. Although the work may be in any genre ...
arts movement. Like other artists in the animalier movement (which began in France), he studied living animals as inspiration for his works. The sculptures are often described as being
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
re-castings of temporary
plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...
lion sculptures that Kemeys had created for display on the grounds of the 1893
World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...
outside of the Palace of Fine Arts (today's Museum of Science and Industry building). However, documents and photographs from the World's Fair contradict this claim, indicating instead that the lion sculptures displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition had been created by A. Phimister Proctor and Theodore Baur rather than Kemeys.


History

The bronze sculptures for the Art Institute of Chicago were commissioned by Florence Lathrop Field, an early benefactor of the museum. Fields' late husband Henry Field had been an admirer of Kemeys' sculptures, and her brother
Bryan Lathrop Bryan Lathrop (August 6, 1844 – May 13, 1916) was an American businessman and art collector from Alexandria, Virginia, United States. He is known for his works in Chicago, Illinois, where his insurance and real estate dealings made him very we ...
, a trustee of the Art Institute, had been a patron of Kemeys. After the board of trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago had made a decision for there to be guardian lion sculptures outside of the new museum building, the president of the board of trustees, Charles L. Hutchinson, favored commissioning such as work from one of a dozen better-known sculptors. Those considered included Augustus Bauer,
Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculpture, sculptor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''The Minute Man'', an 1874 statue in Concord, Massachusetts, and his Statue of Abr ...
, Frederick William Macmonnies,
Philip Martiny Philip H. Martiny (May 19, 1858 – June 26, 1927) was a French-American sculptor who worked in the Paris atelier of Eugene Dock, where he became foreman before emigrating to New York in 1878—to avoid conscription in the French army, he later ...
, and
Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...
. Bryan Lathrop wrote him in September of 1892, strongly recommending he choose Kemeys. Lathrop proposed having his sister, Florence Lathrop Field, acquire and gift the Art Institute such sculptures. Lathrop stated that Field had wanted to donate them anonymously. However, in voting to accept the gift on January 31, 1893, the board of trustees executive committee also voted to thank the donor. The sculptures were cast in Chicago by the American Bronze Founding Company in 1893, and were unveiled on May 10, 1894. In 1910, the sculptures were moved slightly from their original placement to new positions nearer to the museum building. They remained in place until being temporarily removed from early 2000 until 2001, being removed in order to accommodate repair work to the entrance of the building. During this time, the sculptures underwent conservation work. They were removed a second time in 2022 to again undergo conservation work (cleaning and waxing). A
time capsule A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...
was placed after the 2001 conservation work, accompanying a much older time capsule that is also concealed by the sculptures. During the 2022 conservation work, the time capsules were temporarily removed, being returned unopened when the sculptures were reinstalled. Furthermore, the south sculpture was found to have two
Indian Head cent The Indian Head cent was a one-cent coin ($0.01) produced by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1859 to 1909. It was designed by James Barton Longacre, the Chief Engraver at the Philadelphia Mint. From 1793 to 1857, the cent was a cop ...
coins underneath it, which were temporarily removed and returned to their place underneath the sculpture when it was reinstalled. The sculptures are regarded to be iconic features of Chicago, being among the city's most well-known sculptures. The Chicago Lions
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
team, founded in 1964, is named for the statues. An unofficial
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account exists for the sculptures. In 2024, the
Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...
of the WNBA unveiled their new mascot: “Skye the Lioness”, an animal choice which was inspired by the sculptures. This replaced the team’s previous mascot, “Sky Guy”. In 2015, as part of the ''Statue Stories Chicago'' public art exhibit, QR codes were installed near each of the statues. If scanned, the codes would allow the lions to "speak", with one of them being voiced by
Tracy Letts Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received t ...
and the other by
Francis Guinan Francis V. Guinan Jr. (born November 17, 1951) is an American film, television and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Edgar Teller the patriarch in the short-lived series ''Eerie, Indiana''. The Council Bluffs, Iowa-born actor ...
.
Tina Landau Tina Landau (born May 21, 1962) is an American playwright and theatre director. Known for her large-scale, musical, and ensemble-driven work, Landau's productions have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally, most extensively at the ...
of the
Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theater company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry (American actor), Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Immaculate Conception grade school in Highland Park, Illinois and is now located in Chica ...
wrote a script in which the two sculptures were portrayed as "gently feuding brothers". In 2018, as part of another ''Statue Stories of Chicago'' installation, the sculptures were voiced by Letts and
Mandy Patinkin Mandel "Mandy" Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television, and film. As a critically acclaimed Broadway (theatre), Broadway performer he has collaborated with Step ...
. In 2020, the base of the northern sculpture was vandalized, with the words "inside mania" spray painted beneath the statute. A woman was criminally charged for the vandalism. In July 2021, the northern sculpture itself was vandalized with spray painted tagging.


Special decorations

The sculptures are, nowadays, decorated in the winter holiday season with
wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a ring shape. In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and C ...
s and bows in an annual "wreathing of the lions" ceremony. This tradition was begun in 1991 and has been done nearly every year since. The wreathing ceremony is traditionally held the day following the United States Thanksgiving holiday observance. Often, when a Chicago major league sports team is making a strong postseason run, the sculptures will be adorned with oversized mock-ups of hats or helmets in order to show support for the team. The first instance of this came in 1985, when the statutes were decorated with mockups of football helmets to celebrate the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
appearance in
Super Bowl XX Super Bowl XX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
. The sculptures were decorated with helmets again in 2007 when the Bears appeared in
Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2006 Indianapolis Colts season, Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2006 Chicago Bears season, Chicag ...
as well as in 2011 when the Bears appeared in the
NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Ame ...
The sculptures were decorated for the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
during their
Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...
appearances in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, and
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
. During the
2021 WNBA Finals The 2021 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2021 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2021 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The finals featured the f ...
, the sculptures were decorated for the
Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...
for the first time (having previously not been decorated for the team's' earlier appearance
2014 WNBA Finals The 2014 WNBA Finals was the playoff series for the 2014 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Phoenix Mercury, champions of the Western Conference, faced the Chicago S ...
). The sculptures were decorated for the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
's appearance in the
2005 World Series The 2005 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2005 season. The 101st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Chicago White Sox and the National ...
and the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
' appearance in the
2016 World Series The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...
Additionally (unrelated to any postseason appearance) the statues had previously been decorated with Cubs hats (created by Carol Terry of the Ryerson Library) for a special “Lion Cubs” event held at the museum entrance in early October 1984. In late April 2020 (amid the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
), mock-ups of a
surgical mask A surgical mask, also known by other names such as a medical face mask or procedure mask, is a personal protective equipment used by healthcare professionals that serves as a mechanical barrier that interferes with direct airflow in and out of r ...
were placed on the sculptures in order to bring public attention to health safety measures implemented in Illinois at the time that required masking in public. A mock-up of a mask was similarly placed on the ''
Chicago Picasso The Chicago Picasso (often just ''The Picasso'') is an untitled monumental sculpture by Pablo Picasso in Daley Plaza in Chicago, Illinois. The 1967 installation of ''The Picasso'', "precipitated an aesthetic shift in civic and urban planning, br ...
''. Within a day
vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal ...
s had removed one of the masks on the lion sculptures, which was quickly replaced.Multiple sources: * *


See also

*
1893 in art The year 1893 in art involved some significant events. Events * February – Grafton Galleries open in London. * April – ''The Studio (magazine), The Studio: An Illustrated Magazine of Fine and Applied Art'' is first published in London by C ...
*
1894 in art The year 1894 in art involved some significant events. Events * February – Oscar Wilde's play ''Salome'' is first published in English, with illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. * April – ''The Yellow Book'' (edited by Henry Harland with Au ...
*
Cultural depictions of lions The lion has been an important symbol to humans for tens of thousands of years. The earliest graphic representations feature lions as organized hunters with great strength, strategies, and skills. In later depictions of human cultural ceremonies, ...


References


External links

* {{Public art in Chicago 1893 sculptures 1894 establishments in Illinois Animal sculptures in Illinois Bronze sculptures in Illinois Outdoor sculptures in Chicago Sculptures of lions in the United States Statues in Illinois Sculptures in the Art Institute of Chicago