From the July 20, 2022, Chicago Tribune by Doug George.
Part of anyone's initial drive on Route 66 in Chicago are the pair of iconic lion statues at the front of the Chicago Art Institute. They went back to work Tuesday, after returning from a month of conservation work.
They now sport a fresh coat of wax after receiving a deep cleaning and coating of the protective wax at Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Inc, an art restoration service in west suburban Forest Park.
The lions were removed on June 14, having been outside for 128 years. It was their first deep cleaning in decades. They were also checked for corrision.
The bronze statues were sculpted by artist Edward Kemeys for the museumin 1893, in time for the first Chicago World's Fair, and commissioned by Florence Lathrop Field, wife of Henry Field. The lions were installed the following year. The lion on the north pedestal is "on the prowl." The other one is "In an attitude of defiance" on the south pedestal.
They have since been Chicago icons (wearing sports apparel when Chicago teams win championships), predating and the equal to Buckingham Fountain (1927), the Wrigley Building (finished 1924), the Picasso (1967) and, of course, Cloud Gate (the Bean) (2006).
--RoadDog
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