Jordi Bonet
(1932 - 1979)

Jordi Bonet Biography
(1932 - 1979)

Born in Barcelona, Spain, he lost his right arm at the age of twelve when complications set in from a broken arm. His father, a doctor, discovering gangrene immediately operated under difficult conditions to save the boy’s life. Bonet came to Canada in 1954 and rose to prominence through his sculpture and mural work for buildings in many large North American cities.

Working in a variety of media he used cast aluminum, fired clay, cement and plastic and completed the following commissions: an exterior mural in design tile, over three thousand sq. ft. for Cité Universitaire du Québec Science Pavilion; eight murals in high relief above the entrance doors of Salle Wilfrid Pelletier, Place des Arts, Montreal, covering a total surface of 240 sq. ft.; wall of an entire room in sculpted cement covering a total surface of 275 sq. ft. For the Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal; an exterior sculpted mural 216 sq. ft. for the Orthogenic School at the University of Chicago; an interior mural in low-relief 200 sq. ft. for the Trade Bank and Trust Company in New York; two walls in low and high-relief in the entrance lobby of the North American Tower, Toronto; cast aluminum doors for the National Art Centre in Ottawa, Canada; three stained glass windows and sculptural groups in low-relief for the United Nations Catholic Parish, Holy Family Church, New York; an aluminum sculpture of 1200 sq. ft. for the Students’ Union Building of the University of Alberta; stained glass windows covering an area of 5000 sq. ft. the chapel of Our Lady of the Sky at Kennedy International Airport, N.Y.C; cast iron mural measuring 200 sq. ft. for the Edmonton Public Library; two low-relief murals covering a total surface of 300 sq. ft. for the Fine Arts Building of the University of the State of New York; a triptych measuring 13,000 sq. ft. of applied concrete, rising 40 ft. from the floor in three sections measuring 80 feet, 120 feet and 80 feet (the largest mural done to that point in his career) “Death”, “Space” and “Liberty” for the Grand Theatre, Quebec City, described by Michael White of the Gazette as follows, “. . . the interior of the place will be a powerful integrated and unforgettable experience, perhaps Bonet’s masterwork. Something worth going to Quebec to see.”

He lived near Mont St. Hilaire southeast of Montreal. He was one of Quebec's major artists when he died of leukemia at the age of 47.

Sources: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1977