Commissioned by Great Gulf, Shea’s Victoria features 420 square feet of hand-painted float glass in three different areas at 25 Richmond Street East in Toronto. The 1908 Beaux-Arts vaudeville theatre, Shea’s Victoria, stood on this site until 1956. The artwork celebrates the City’s historic past with magical overlays of colourful lines echoing the flamboyant ornamentation inside the playhouse. The artist designed three layers of glass arranged four inches apart in depth, backlit by LED panels.

Hand-painted float glass by Franz Mayer of Munich

Installation by Museumpros Art Services Inc.

colourful hand-painted glass window
Harp and Laurel 2020 hand-painted float glass (detail) 8x34x1ft
Columns 25 RichmondSTE
side view blue glass - Shea's Victoria - installation by Museumpros Art Services Inc.
Katharine Harvey in Hard Hat outside of Toronto Public Art - Shea's Victoria
install 1st layer from outside - Shea's Victoria - installation by Museumpros Art Services Inc.
Shea's Victoria 2020 glass panes © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 moving the glass panels © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 adding blue © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 blue closeup © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 float glass painting © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 closeup painting © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 glass coming out of kiln © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 painting float glass with kiln in background © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 float glass painting studio © Fabrication and Photo by Mayer of Munich
Shea's Victoria 2020 hand-painted glass detail
Shea's Victoria 2020 artist's glass tests at Mayer of Munich in 2017
Shea's Victoria 2020 artist at Mayer of Munich studio in 2017
Shea's Victoria 2020 artist's acrylic paint mockup
Shea's Victoria 2020 interior of theatre 1946 ©Hugh Robertson
Shea's Victoria 2020 original blueprint 1908 by Leon H. Lempert & Son Architects, City of Toronto Archives

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