Born in the early years of the twentieth century, Sylvia Daoust completed most of her training in sculpture at l'École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal before travelling to France in order to further her art education. Returning to Canada, Daoust had numerous exhibitions throughout Québec and Eastern Canada. She was a member of the Sculptor’s Society of Canada and worked with legendary Canadian sculptors, Frances Loring and Florence Wyle, carving some of the Dominion Drama Trophies. In 1943, she became an Associate Academician of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art (ARCA). Less than a year later, she was offered a position at l'École des Beaux-Arts to teach modelling and sculpture. There, in the building on the corner of Sherbrooke and St. Urbain Streets in Montréal, she taught Eleanor Milne wood carving in 1947–48.

While the majority of Daoust's work consists of wood and bronze sculptures of a religious nature, she has sculpted a substantial number of portraits, including the bronze statue of botanist Frère Marie-Victorin at the entrance of the Montréal Botanical Gardens, shown here.

Reference: Hayward Collection of Slides and Documentation at Concordia University.

LINK TO RELATED CANADA'S DIGITAL COLLECTIONS WEB PAGE:
Canadian Sculpture: Coming of Age.

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