Frances Loring and Florence Wyle

Loring-Wyle Studio

There are two plaques about these women.
Both can be seen on this page.

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted June, 2007

A 1984 Toronto Historical Board plaque, located in this small park on the northeast corner of Mt Pleasant Road and St. Clair Avenue East, is accompanied by several sculptures by Loring and Wyle including this bust of Wyle by Loring. A bust of Loring by Wyle as well as two other Wyle sculptures in the park can be seen further down this page. Here's what the plaque says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.690505 -79.383173

Sculptors Frances Loring (1887-1968) and Florence Wyle (1881-1968) were born in the United States mid-west. They met in 1907 while art students in Chicago, and moved to Toronto in 1913. Their home and studio near here at 110 Glenrose Avenue was a centre for artists, academics and students for 48 years. In 1918 they sculpted a series of figures of workers in the munitions industry for Canadian war memorials. Loring designed the lion, and Wyle the portrait reliefs of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for the Queen Elizabeth Way Lion Monument, now located in Gzowski Park. The works of these colourful artists are represented in the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Galley and the War Museum in Ottawa, and on many public and private buildings in Ontario. Their contribution is recognized, at the request of the Moore Park Residents' Association, by this park named in their honour.

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted April, 2004

An Ontario Heritage Trust plaque here in front of the former Loring-Wyle Studio at 110 Glenrose Avenue, gives us this information:

Plaque coordinates: 43.689583 -79.382617

This board-and-batten building, originally the schoolhouse for Christ Church, Deer Park, was acquired in 1920 by Frances Loring and Florence Wyle. Sculpting in the classical tradition, they achieved national prominence and executed many impressive public works, among which are Loring's Sir Robert Borden on Parliament Hill and Wyle's Edith Cavell in Toronto. They were founding members of the Sculptors' Society of Canada and their studio was an important artistic centre where musicians, writers, sculptors, painters, and patrons of the arts congregated. When Frances Loring and Florence Wyle died in 1968 they bequeathed their studio to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. The sale of the building allowed the Academy to establish a trust for the development of Canadian artists.

Related Toronto plaque
The Lion Monument

More
Arts

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted October 5, 2008
We were at the opening of the Loring-Wyle Parkette On June 5, 1984, and were dismayed at the lack (none) of media coverage for the opening. There are over 200 of their combined sculptures in storage at AGO, and we look forward to completion of the renovation of AGO for some of their works to be displayed.
Pauline and Ed Jackson

Posted September 18, 2008
Very interesting: thanks for your work to put this on here.

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