The 14 statues of laughing men that have greeted many at English Bay Beach have been rescued with a $1.5 million donation by Lululemon founder Chip Wilson.
The unique sculptures are a popular, but temporarily attraction located at the corner of Denman and Davie Street right next to English Bay. They were placed there during the Vancouver Biennale two and a half years ago.
But the future of the sculpture, called A-mazing Laughter, was in jeopardy because it was only on loan from the sculptor Yue Minjun as part of the bi-annual public art exhibition.
Lululemon owner Chip Wilson and his wife Shannon donated $1.5 million for the Park Board to buy the statues, after their creator dropped his asking price from $5 million.
The artist said he decided he wanted the statues to remain in a public space in Vancouver after seeing photos of visitors interacting with them.
Thanks Chip & Lululemon!
