Claude Jutra sculpture covered up a day after it was hit by vandals
Charles Daudelin sculpture stands in Plateau park named in filmmaker's honour
The metal and granite sculpture that stood in Montreal's Parc Claude-Jutra for nearly two decades has now been boarded up by the city — a move aimed at protecting the piece from further vandalism.
The move came a day after the statue honouring the late filmmaker at the centre of pedophilia allegations was vandalized with red paint.
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The piece, titled Hommage à Claude Jutra, was created by artist Charles Daudelin, a friend of the filmmaker.
Installed in the park at the corner of Clark and Prince-Arthur streets in 1997, it was the inspiration for the film awards that bore the late Jutra's name.
According to a description on the the city's public art website which has now been removed, the work "is the first sculpture devoted to Québec cinema."
The actor, writer and filmmaker committed suicide in 1986 after learning that he had Alzheimer's disease. He was 56.
The allegations against Jutra came to light last week in a biography that claimed he had sexual relationships with boys as young as 13.
Since then other victims have come forward with allegations that they were sexually abused by Jutra – one of them from the age of six.
Several streets in cities and towns across Quebec bear Jutra's name, along with the Plateau park in Montreal. Mayor Denis Coderre has already said the city will move to withdraw Jutra's name from a downtown park and an east-end street.
It's not yet clear what will happen to the sculpture, which bears an inscription quoting Jutra.
On Tuesday, organizers announced they were pulling Jutra's name from the annual award gala celebrating Quebec cinema, temporarily replacing it with the straightforward Gala du cinéma québécois.