Frederick winkler

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           We did not go into much about his background and training in Germany and would make little sense to try and explain the training he got as a student. I had seen his works on the Globe and mail Building (now torn down) on king Street in Toronto. The relief’s he had done for the exterior of the Bank of Nova Scotia at the corner of King and Bay streets in Toronto. Any other work would come as a surprise and it did.

           With my little inadequate camera I tried to get photos of the small works that we placed on the rug and staircase to make a neutral background.

           The works he did were impressive and finely done. No War memorials since he was German and not allowed to submit any designs. I doubt that he would have been granted any work for most War memorials had been done before his arrival in 1930.

           Before I left my arms were full of models he had done in plaster and wanted me to own them. The Baboon and Baby plaster model was the dearest piece. The book ends in metal and wood were also a good asset to my collection. The small animals and chess pieces gave me a thrill just to touch them.

           I got to the basement and found the plaster models for the Bank of Nova Scotia hanging there in all their grandeur. I had only seen them high up on the banking walls on Bay Street. A different story for sure.

           He did some ivory carving also but was not proud to display them when he found out how the ivory hunters treated the animals they captured.

           A trip to his factory where he manufactured office furniture was the next visit when we promised each other to meet and talk some more. I had put off seeing my grandmother that time in preference to this dinner date. He said, “Your grandmother had lived this long, come and join me and talk about the trip my wife and I are going to take around the world.”

           Shortly after the dinner I learned about his death.

           I followed up his leads to architectural works he did for Public libraries and Post Offices in the Toronto area. I have to do some more searching to get all of it together.

           A relative has contacted me this year and thanked me for doing this much on Fritz. I want to thank her for her co-operation too in getting me some additional information on his life.

           I am glad to add Fred Winkler to the long list of sculptors I have undertaken to write about. I am sorry it is so short but that is the way it is.

How fortunate I was to find this wonderful artist who filled me with reality about what it takes to be an artist.

           Merle Foster alerted me to his home near Markham Ontario around 1972. I did not take long for me to make an appointment to visit his home and see all of the works he had done during his lifetime.

Frederick (FRITZ) Winkler 1897 - 1974