Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago IL
2020

Lions is a pair of 1893 bronze sculptures by Edward Kemeys, installed outside of the main entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The sculptures are well-recognized public artworks.

The sculptures were commissioned by Florence Lathrop Field as a gift to the museum in memory of her late husband Henry Field.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_%28Kemeys%29

The bronze sculptures are modeled after African lions. Each sculpture weighs more than two tons. The northern sculpture weighs approximately 5,100 pounds (2,300 kg). They are approximately 10 feet (3.0 m) in length. Today, the sculptures have a green patina. The sculptures flank the outside of the main entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago Building (home to the Art Institute of Chicago), being located along the east side of South Michigan Avenue at the road's intersection with East Adams Street in the city of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. The sculptures have occasionally been referred to as the "great protectors".

The artist, Edward Kemeys, described the statues as "guarding the building." Both are depicted in active poses. Kemeys described the northern lion as positioned "on the prowl," and said that it "has his back up, and is ready for a roar and a spring." He described the southern lion as positioned "in an attitude of defiance" and "attracted by something in the distance which he is closely watching." Kemeys referred to the design of the southern sculpture as "the most difficult I have ever attempted." Kemeys was a leading figure in America's animalier arts movement. Like other artists in the animalier movement (which began in France), he studied living animals as inspiration for his works.

The sculptures are regarded to be iconic features of Chicago, being among the city's most well-known sculptures. The Chicago Lions rugby union team, founded in 1964, is named for the statues. An unofficial Twitter account exists for the sculptures. They are, nowadays, decorated in the winter holiday season with wreaths and bows in an annual "wreathing of the lions" ceremony. This tradition was begun in 1991 and has been done nearly every year since. The wreathing ceremony is traditionally held the day following the United States Thanksgiving holiday observance. Often, when a Chicago major league sports team is making a strong postseason run, the sculptures will be adorned with oversized mock-ups of hats or helmets in order to show support for the team.