Mosmondesign

In 1968 Vlad Mosmondor was commissioned to produce a sculpture made from fiber glass. This sculpture was to be of the 19th Prime Minister of Australia John Gorton (1968-1971).

Vlad depicted John Gorton’s war scares, especially his crooked nose. In 1940 Gorton was enlisted in the Australian Air Force as a fighter pilot in Malaya and New Guinea. He suffered a serious pilot crash where his face hit the planes windshield and from then his unique characteristic was formed.

Vlad has extensive background in visual art, where he graduated from art school in Europe. Vlad attended many sitting in Parliament House, Canberra during question time with Gorton. Below are photos of the result; and the pencil sketches he did during his parliament sittings.

Fiberglass sculpture is very time-consuming and a labor-intensive process. It’s an excellent way to create works of art that will last for decades to come. In this instance, it’s been 52 years since Vlad created Gorton’s sculpture in bronze and it still looks as fresh and modern now then as it did then.

The fiberglass process: The entire process is detailed from plug, to mold, to finished fiberglass part. Follow along with the eight steps: develop the plug, construct the parting board, lay up the mold, release the mold from the plug, prepare the mold for fabrication, lay up the part, and release the finished fiberglass piece. In this instance, it’s been 52 years since Vlad created Gorton’s sculpture in bronze and it still looks as fresh and modern then as it does now.

Recently in 2021 there was a sculpture made of Sir John Gorton in Parkes.

Sir John’s sons, Michael (seated) and Robin (standing) Gorton who, with their families, attended the official unveiling of the sculpture in Canberra on Wednesday 10 March 2021.