Joseph-Olindo Gratton is likely to have attended the École normale Jacques-Cartier de Montréal, the École du Conseil des arts et manufactures in Montreal and the Institut national des beaux-arts, sciences, arts et métiers, et industrie, where he later taught. In 1872, he began training in the workshop of statue sculptor and ornamentalist Charles-Olivier Dauphin. In 1881, he solidified his skills in statuary while working for Louis-Philippe Hébert, who shared the workshop of Napoléon Bourassa at the time. Renowned in the field of religious statuary, Gratton is believed to have produced more than three hundred wooden statues between 1877 and 1939. Among his works are twelve statues adorning the high altar of the Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours Chapel in Montreal (1889-1890) and the two groups of angels at Saint-Enfant-Jésus church. The thirteen immense, copper-embossed wooden statues that dominate the façade of Montreal’s Mary Queen of the World Cathedral marked the peak of his career. He also completed sets of statues for various churches in Montreal, namely Saint-Louis-de-France (1920-1921), Saint-Viateur d’Outremont (1923-1927) and Sainte-Catherine-d’Alexandrie (1926-1929).
SEE:
« Michele Rigali (1841-1910) Statuaire et ornemaniste » by Mario Béland, ESPACE #26, p. 47.
