Eleanor Milne

Rose Eleanor Milne (May 14, 1925 – May 17, 2014) was a Canadian sculptor.

Milne was the daughter of William Harold Milne, a naval architect, and Eleanor Mary Milne, an artist. She was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, and moved with her family to Montreal at the age of 11. As a child she suffered from dyslexia. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, where her instructors included Arthur Lismer and Jacques de Tonnancour, among others; she earned her degree in 1945. She next studied human anatomy at McGill University School of Medicine. Further study followed under John Farleigh at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, England. Milne also studied wood sculpture under Sylvia Daoust at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal, and apprenticed for a time under Ivan Meštrović.

Milne was appointed Dominion Sculptor of Canada in 1962; the first woman to hold the position, she was selected over nearly 20 other applicants. During her career, which lasted until her retirement in 1993, she completed for the Centre Block of the Parliament of Canada a cycle of twelve stained-glass windows depicting the floral emblems of Canada's provinces and territories. She oversaw the restoration of the ceiling in the House of Commons, and carved a 120-foot long frieze depicting the history of Canada until World War I, which was carved on site between 1962 and 1974. In her role as Dominion Sculptor Milne created work for other government organizations as well, including the chair used by the speaker of the council of the Northwest Territories. At her retirement she was succeeded by Maurice Joanisse, who had begun his career as a carver under her tutelage.

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