Memorable Manitobans: Giorgio “George” Barone (1916-1992)

Sculptor.

Born in Italy in 1916, he came to Winnipeg with his family in 1951, after spending ten years as a sculptor at Rome’s School of Arts. After designing plaques and figurines for a local firm and working for several years as a set designer with CBC television, he set off on his own as a sculptor. He was responsible for several monuments around Manitoba. He developed a technique for creating statues using steel rods, air-filled foam, fibreglass cloth, and colour-impregnated resin that could withstand the Canadian climate. He also worked in wood and marble. In 1970, he was awarded a Manitoba Centennial Medal by the Manitoba Historical Society.

He and wife Maria Diana “Marina” Mauro (1918-2008) had two sons and a daughter, including Ermanno Barone (1941-2014), and lived at 117 Victoria Avenue East in Transcona. They moved to Kelowna, British Columbia in 1980 and he died there on 7 December 1992. He is commemorated by George Barone Bay in Winnipeg.

Some of his works in Manitoba included:

Sculpture	Location	Year	Status
White Horse Monument	RM of St. Francois Xavier	1966
Giant Viking Statue	Gimli, RM of Gimli	1967
Hi Neighbour Sam	Regent Avenue West, Winnipeg	1968
Tommy the Turtle	Boissevain, Municipality of Boissevain-Morton	1974
Alpine Archie	McCreary, Municipality of McCreary	1978
Sara the Camel	Glenboro, Municipality of Glenboro-South Cypress	1978
Sharptail Grouse	Ashern, Municipality of West Interlake	1979
The Miner Monument	Mystery Lake Road, Thompson	1981

Sources:

“Italian-Canadian artist paints crucifixion tableau,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 October 1953, page 4.

“Classical sculptor shapes sand on Winnipeg Beach,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 September 1961, page 70.

“New medium tops all says Winnipeg artist,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 July 1966, page 10.

“Sculptor Barone, 78, near death,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 September 1992, page 40.

“Noted sculptor left mark on Manitoba,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 December 1992, page 1.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Obituary [Mmaria Diana Barone], The Desert Sun, 30 September 2008.

Obituary [Ermanno Barone], The Desert Sun, 15-17 February 2014.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 18 June 2022

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