Jordi Bonet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jordi Bonet
Born	May 7, 1932 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Died	December 25, 1979 Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Known for	painter, ceramic artist, muralist, and sculptor.

The Jordi Bonet Murals in the rotunda of the Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital in St. Anthony Newfoundland were created and fabricated in 1967

Jordi Bonet was a famous artist born in Spain. He became a Canadian citizen and worked mostly in Quebec. He was a painter, a ceramist (someone who makes art from clay), a muralist (who creates large wall paintings), and a sculptor (who makes statues). He was born on May 7, 1932, and passed away on December 25, 1979.

Jordi Bonet's Early Life and Art Journey

Jordi Bonet was born in Barcelona, Spain. When he was nine years old, he lost his right arm. His childhood was also affected by the Spanish Civil War. He studied art in Barcelona.

He started by working with paint and ceramics. Later, he began creating art with metal and concrete. These were often large relief sculptures, which are artworks that stick out from a flat surface.

Moving to Canada and Creating Art

In 1954, Jordi Bonet moved to Canada. He settled in Quebec and continued his art studies there. After a short trip back to Spain, he opened his own art studio in Mont-Saint-Hilaire in 1960.

Over the next 20 years, he created over 100 artworks. These pieces can be found in Quebec and other countries. He even worked with other famous artists like Salvador Dalí.

Important Artworks by Jordi Bonet

In 1964, the government of Sierra Leone asked him to create a mural. This large wall painting can still be seen on the front of the Bank of Sierra Leone building in Freetown. You can find his signature, "Jordi Bonet '64," at the bottom right.

In 1967, Jordi Bonet created a special artwork called The Inuit Family. This rotunda (a round building or room) shows life in northern Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located inside the main entrance of the Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital in Saint Anthony, Canada.

One of his most famous works is a relief sculpture in the Grand Théâtre de Québec. This artwork caused a stir in 1971 because it included a line from a poet named Claude Péloquin. The line translated to: "Aren't you sick of dying, you gang of idiots? Enough!"

Other major works by Bonet include:

• A relief called L’homme devant la science on a building at Université Laval in Quebec.
• Citius, Altius, Fortius (which means Faster, Higher, Stronger in Latin) at the Montreal Metro station Pie-IX.
• Hommage à Gaudí, a series of wall sculptures at Place des Arts in Montreal.
• The Halifax Explosion Memorial Sculpture in Nova Scotia.
• Stained-glass windows and sculptures at Our Lady of the Skies Chapel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

Jordi Bonet was very interested in creating art for churches and religious places. He made artworks and special objects for churches and convents in Quebec, Ontario, and other areas. His art was shown in Galerie L'Art français starting in the 1950s.

Jordi Bonet was one of Quebec's most important artists. He passed away from leukemia when he was 47 years old.

Jordi Bonet's Citius, Altius, Fortius which is Latin for Faster, Higher, Stronger at Pie-IX metro station in Montreal, Quebec

Honours and Awards

Jordi Bonet was recognized for his artistic talent. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Images for kids

• 

  Relief sculpture at Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School on the campus of and affiliated with the University of Chicago

• 

  Mosaic in Moncton, New Brunswick

• 

  Halifax Explosion Memorial Sculpture in Halifax, Nova Scotia

• 

  Mural on the Adrien-Pouliot Building of Laval University, Quebec City

• 

  Resurgence (1977), in the lobby of the Oceanic Tower in Vancouver

• 

  Mural on the front of The Bank of Sierra Leone building in Freetown

• 

  Detail view of an untitled relief, National Arts Centre, Ottawa

• ''The Inuit Family'' 1967: Mural on the rotunda of Curtis Memorial Hospital, St-Anthony, Canada
• 

  Fishing - With his arms outstretched to the sky, a Newfoundland fisherman salutes the abundance of cod.

• 

  Hunting: Snowshoe trails run along a devastation of animals, they represent hunting and trapping in Labrador

• 

  Woman, man and son stand in front of the opening of their tent

• 

  The boy's expressive face suggests that he is a portrait

• 

  These people wear traditional clothing

• 

  The Indians: snowshoes on backs, two Women walk on a path, like in a cabin, we see kitchen utensils and a mirror

See also

• List of Canadian artists
• Jordi-Bonet Bridge linking Mont-Saint-Hilaire and Belœil (french)
• Jordi-Bonet bridge, toponymy, origin and meaning (french), Montérégie