'Walking Figures' art installed on Alberta Avenue

Walking Figures art installation on Alberta Avenue. Nov. 4, 2020. (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton)

EDMONTON — A group of famous statues "walked" into Edmonton Wednesday morning.

"Walking Figures" is a group of cast iron statues that resemble large headless people in movement.

The three statues were created by Magdalena Abakanowicz, a Polish artist who first began developing these type of works in the 1970s.

The artist died in 2017 but her artwork is still shown around the world, including several of the same walking figures that reside in Chicago.

The three new statues are joining several other installations that have recently been showcased in the area. It's all a part of Arts on the Avenue, a cultural initiative to bring art into the local community.

"In the scale of public art; this is probably one of the most sought after pieces of art," said Christy Morin, executive director of Arts on the Ave.

"Magdalena has passed away and she's one of Poland’s, in the last hundred years, probably one of their most cherished artists."

The city obtained the statues on loan from the Vancouver Biennale, and they will have a residency on 118 Avenue and 89 Street for the next two years.