Family of Man: A Sculpture of the World
In 1967, the World Fair was held in Montreal Canada. At this meeting of nations, titled Expo 67, Great Britain exhibited a curious piece of artwork created by sculptor Mario Armengol. The artist created the sculpture in response to the request for the creation of an art piece to express the serious task of resolving international issues. The result was Family of Man.
Family of Man is a lofty sculpture of 10 emaciated people appearing to communicate in a friendly manner. Standing 21 feet tall and constructed of aluminum, the people do not appear to portray a specific gender, nationality, emotion, or clothing. According to the artist, this anonymity symbolizes the unification of all the nations. The positive nature of their gestures was to reflect how the international issues would be resolved—by positive and constructive communication.
After the Montreal Expo, a private citizen by the name of Robert Cummings thought the sculpture would make an excellent addition to Calgary, Canada and so he purchased it and gave it to the city. After considerable thought, the city of Calgary finally decided to place Family of Man in front of the Calgary Board of Education.
In the summer of 2007, the Calgary City Council granted the Calgary Board of Education permission to have another building designed to replace the existing one. The council members believed that the building in which the administrators were housed was overdue for an overhaul and that building at a new location was best. It is uncertain where exactly the Family of Man sculpture will be moved, but it will live in a different location.
