Nov. 21, 1993: Street sculpture saved from scrap heap, moved to new home
A controversial street sculpture by Edmonton artist Roy Leadbeater that was sold for $25 as scrap metal was about to find new life on another city street.
Known as Dialogue, the sky blue cylindrical artwork was relocated to a patch of grass outside the north doors of the Citadel Theatre, where it still stands today.
The sculpture was orangecoloured when it was commissioned for $10,000 in 1972 by builder Peter Batoni and his business partner Pat Bowlen. For nearly 20 years, it was a familiar landmark outside College Plaza on Whyte Avenue and 111th Street until it was removed.
Dean Kupchanko, a senior officer with building managers Bowlen & Young Management Inc., explained it didn’t fit in with recent improvements made to the exterior of the apartmentoffice building highrise.
“It was a bizarre kind of thing. We thought it was offensive (phallic) looking. We paid $300 to have it taken away.”
Leadbeater had recently sold a similar sculpture in Calgary for $100,000.
Kupchanko said no one knew who the sculptor was. “We in no way intended to offend him or anyone else.”
Kupchanko called Leadbeater “a great sculptor. He’s done a lot of nice stuff and this isn’t one of them. I’d be surprised if even he has a picture of it.”
Leadbeater said removing the sculpture “was an act of real violence. They were barbarians at the gate. I am disappointed, but I guess that’s life.”
The company that hauled the sculpture away stored it for a week before it was bought for $25 cash.
It was a day away from being crushed when Leadbeater retrieved it. He later sandblasted and painted it blue to suit its new location against a red brick wall.
“The sculpture is going to outlive most of the people who wanted to sell it as scrap, I’m sure of that now,” Leadbeater said. “It’s going to outlive me, too. That is how it should be.”
The 85-year-old artist continues to sculpt. He currently has a gallery show in Victoria and has another planned for Calgary in the spring.