Louis-Philippe Hébert
Canadian, 1850–1917
Osla, 1909
plaster
35 x 33.5 x 6 cm
Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery
G-92-552
Categories:
Sculpture, Canadian Historical (1800-1910)
Louis-Philippe Hébert discovered art in Rome when he was stationed there in 1870 for a short while as part of an international military mission providing security to the Vatican. He later studied briefly in Paris and then, upon his return to Canada, worked under the Quebec sculptor Napoléon Bourassa, assisting with the decoration of the interior of Notre Dame basilica in Montreal. Hébert received numerous commissions for sculptures and busts of Canadian historical subjects and public figures. Osla reveals Hébert’s academic background and ongoing preoccupation with classical form. The WAG work is at once regal and moving, and the full profile recalls Greco-Roman portraits as well as those of the Renaissance period. The unknown subject is likely a native of Normandy, France, where Hébert had much of his bronze casting done and where the plaster portrait was located prior to being acquired by the Gallery.
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