A large bronze statue representing Gilles Villeneuve has been stolen and vandalized from a museum built in his honor in Berthierville. The statue, erected in memory of Gilles Villeneuve and located at the entrance of the Berthierville museum, has been taken.
During the night between Wednesday and Thursday, criminals reportedly broke in and sawed off the ankles of the life-sized statue of the driver, which stands 1.68 meters tall. The thieves then took away the upper part of the statue, leaving only the feet and the base.
This act of vandalism has left the museum director, Alain Bellehumour, in shock. “It hurts to see that only the boots remain on the statue. For us, it was a historical and highly symbolic monument,” he told the Journal de Montréal – “It is a lack of respect and culture. We have so few historical figures who have made an impact in Quebec like he did. It gives us chills to know that we have shattered it, without caring about anything.”
The statue was created by Jules Lasalle in 1984, two years after Gilles Villeneuve’s tragic death. The artist has also made statues of Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur, and Jean Béliveau.
The sculptor is particularly saddened for the Lanaudière community, where the driver lived. “It’s not common in the region for people to be so involved in a project like this to pay tribute to an important person,” he stated to the Journal. At the time, the bronze statue cost about $25,000, equivalent to roughly $64,000 today. It’s not the artwork itself, but its historical value that is concerning. Museum staff fear that the thieves will commit the irreparable act of melting down the metal to sell it for a few dollars.
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