Edna Manley piece still missing

Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer

The St Ann police are yet to make a breakthrough in the theft of a sculpture created by the late Edna Manley, taken from Unity House in Runaway Bay last week.

The Runaway Bay police reported that the stolen piece, 'The Trees are Joyful', was taken sometime between 6:00 p.m. last Wednesday, April 6 and 4:30 p.m., Thursday April 7.

Up to Friday afternoon, the police said there was still no breakthrough in the case and investigations were ongoing.

Executive director at the National Gallery, Veerle Poupeye, explained that the missing work, a bronze piece done in 1979, was actually done as part of a set of three.

She said 'The Trees are Joyful' is also the title of a poem written by Manley, who died in 1987.

Some of Manley's other works include 'Negro Aroused' (1936), 'Into the Sun' (1954), and 'Growth' (1958).

Considered the 'Mother of Jamaican Art', Manley received many awards because of her work. These include the Gold and the Silver Musgrave Medals of the Institute of Jamaica, Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies and the Order of Merit (OM) in 1986.

In 1995, the Jamaica School of Art was renamed the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in her honour.