American Animalier

Brunch is arguably one of the best ways to spend part of your Sunday morning.  In Chicago, one of the oldest, and still most popular places to go for breakfast is Lou Mitchell's.  It sits at the start of historic route 66 and there is nearly always a wait on Sundays.  Yesterday, while we were waiting for a table we picked up a trivia sheet provided by Lou Mitchell's where I learned something I never knew (even though I've lived in Chicago most of my life) - the lions outside of the Chicago Art Institute were sculpted by a dentist.

The question asked, "In 1984 Edward L. Kemeys, a dentist turned sculptor designed what to guard the entrance of the Chicago Art Institute?"  As I read this question to my friends, I stopped and said, "he was a dentist?!?  How cool is that?!?"  I've seen those lions hundreds of time, and have several pictures of myself next to them, but I never knew that they were designed by a dentist, even a former one.  What was Edward Kemeys' deal?

After quite a bit on online research I couldn't find any record that he was a dentist (though I'm sure he was if Lou Mitchell's says that  he was).  I did learn that he was the first American Animalier, according to the website www.bronze-gallery.com.  Kemeys was born in Georgia but moved to New York where he worked as an iron worker before the Civil War.  He fought in the war as a Captain of Artillery.  Following the end of the war he moved to Illinois where he tried to be a farmer.  It seems that he was a much better sculptor than farmer.  He worked on the construction of Central Park in New York, which is where he first studied animals.  This love of animals lead to a very successful art career.  He traveled the world to study animals and lived in Paris awhile to hone his art techniques.  Kemeys had a lot of critical success as a sculptor, with many commissions and over 25 sculptor displayed at World's Fairs.  He had a studio in Chicago, and his sculptures continue to inspire artists who work to depict animals.

He also, apparently, found time to fix some teeth.  Not bad, Edward.