Nemer Fayad was Roy Leadbeater’s neighbour. In the artist’s autumn years, he and Fayad became close friends. And Fayad is an unapologetic preserver of the famed artist’s legacy, so much so that he’s put together a pop-up gallery where the public can view and/or purchase Leadbeater’s sculptures and paintings. Until Sept. 30 (ed. note, the show has been extended to Nov. 1), the gallery will be open on the second floor of the Oliver Exchange.
“To say that Roy was a prolific artist would be an understatement,” wrote Fayad in his mission statement. “He was an artist who never stopped giving of himself through his art.”
Leadbeater was profiled in this magazine before his death. Abandoned by his parents in England, he served in the military and saw the Israeli/Palestinian conflict first hand. He later moved to Canada where he established himself as a sculptor. His works can be found throughout the city, like his “Genesis” disc in the garden at the Citadel Theatre, “Ocean Moon” at the Marriott Thornton Court Hotel, or the giant cross at St. Michael’s Cemetery. Through the Alberta oil boom, his sculptures were in high demand by some of the major movers and shakers of the industry, and he even received a commission from the late Pat Bowlen, the former owner of the Denver Broncos. His work embraces odd angles and asymmetric shapes. To see them together is like seeing music spring from sound into shape.
See what springs up at the Oliver Exchange at 12021 102 Ave NW, Edmonton.
