Born Leonid Molodozhanyn in Polonne, Russian Empire, and raised in Russia, Mol learned the art of ceramics in his father's pottery workshop. As a young man, he wanted to study painting in Vienna and spent several years studying there under the tutelage of Wilhelm Frass. With Frass's recommendation, Mol was then hired by the sculptor Frans Klimsh, who would support his application to the Berlin Academy. Mol also studied sculpture at the Leningrad Academy of Arts from 1936 to 1940. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union he deported to Germany where he was influenced by Arno Breker. In 1945, he moved to The Hague, and in December, 1948, he and his wife, Margareth, emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1948. In 1949, he held his first ceramics exhibition in Winnipeg. Mol was known for his sculptures of square dancers, skiers, aboriginals, and wildlife. Mol also completed more than 80 stained-glass windows in churches throughout Winnipeg. More than three hundred of Mol's works are displayed in the 1.2 hectare Leo Mol Sculpture Garden in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park which comprises a gallery, a renovated studio, and an outdoor display. The garden was unveiled on June 18, 1992 and has been expanded twice since. It is supported by private donations, and Mol personally donated 200 bronze sculptures to the city of Winnipeg. The sculptures are of religious leaders, prominent people, the human form, and wildlife.
Mol died July 4, 2009, at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was 94.
Works
In 2002, his monumental bronze sculpture Lumberjacks, which now stands in Assiniboine Park was featured on a 48¢ Canadian postage stamp in the sculptors series. Mol's small bronze sculpture of lumberjacks was his inspiration for a monumental bronze sculpture. He was always known as a particularly prolific artist and some of his most famous works include likenesses of three different Popes which stand in museums in the Vatican. He also has a sculpture of Taras Shevchenko on display on Washington’s Embassy Row. Other important subjects who Mol sculpted include members of the Group of Seven, A. J. Casson, A.Y. Jackson and Frederick Varley. Mol also sculpted Sir Winston Churchill 1966, Winnipeg editorial cartoonist Peter Kuch, Dwight D. Eisenhower 1965, John F. Kennedy 1969, Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook ca. 1970, Terry Fox 1982. On Parliament Hill in Ottawa stands his impressive over life-size standing portrait figure of Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker 1985 Also on Parliament Hill stands an impressive bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth II. The maquette of Sir William Stephenson C.C. is displayed in a place of honour within CIA Headquarters, Langley, VA, USA
