A passion for art and sheer natural talent helped to propel Christopher Francis Gonzalez and his work to the forefront of the Jamaican artistic scene and into becoming a legendary cultural icon.

Born in Kingston on March 15, 1943, Gonzalez was one of the first graduates of the Jamaica School of Art (now known as the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts) and later returned to head the Sculpture Department in 1977.

Described by family as ‘strong’, ‘completely dedicated’, ‘a good father’, ‘wise’ and ‘outspoken’, Gonzalez incorporated much of his personality, his beliefs, life, struggles, family and learned history into his work. His pieces are truly distinctive due to the unique expressionistic style used.

“He would sit in his studio for many hours, making sure that his work was as perfect as possible,” recounts his daughter Abenah Gonzalez. “There were times when he would work on several pieces at once while playing old-school reggae in the background. Sometimes, he’d get so miserable when someone disturbed him while he was working that he’d even put up a ‘please do not disturb’ sign on his studio door!”

Some of his most famous works are the 1975 reliefs — titled Birth and Unity of the Nation — which were commissioned for the tomb of the National Hero Norman Manley. Gonzalez won first prize for sculpture in the Jamaica Fine Arts Festival Competition in 1965 and was awarded the prestigious Jamaican Silver Musgrave Medal in 1974.

He is remembered as the sculptor of a controversial Bob Marley statue that abstractly depicts the Reggae legend as having a distorted face and a tree trunk for a lower body. The statue was vehemently rejected by members of the public and the Marley family and so was moved to the National Gallery where it remained for 18 years until its relocation to Island Village in Ocho Rios.

Gonzalez was also involved in charities and often donated pieces to these organisations. His work may also be found in both private and public collections in Jamaica, the US, Europe and Canada. Gonzalez passed away on August 2, 2008. He was 65-years-old.