Sonja Bata

Sonja Bata
OC MSM CD
Born
Sonja Ingrid Wettstein

(1926-11-08)8 November 1926
Zürich, Switzerland
Died20 February 2018(2018-02-20) (aged 91)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Burial place
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Other nameSonja Baťová
OccupationsBusinesswoman, philanthropist, collector and museum founder
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1946; died 2008)​
Children4
RelativesTomáš Baťa (father-in-law)

Sonja Ingrid Bata OC MSM CD (or Sonja Baťová; née Wettstein; 8 November 1926 – 20 February 2018) was a Swiss and Canadian socialite, philanthropist, collector and museum founder.[1] She had briefly studied architecture prior to her marriage in 1946.[2][3]

Biography

Bata Shoe Museum on the corner of a street in Toronto. People walking on the sidewalk in front of the facade.
Bata Shoe Museum

She left her architecture studies after her marriage to Thomas J. Bata of Bata Shoes. In 1946 she moved to Toronto, where she befriended local architects. Among them were Raymond Moriyama, who later designed the Bata Shoe Museum, and John Cresswell Parkin, who designed the Don Mills headquarters of Bata Shoes and the family's country house in Batawa.[4] Though she had earlier envisioned herself to become an architect, she set her designs on improving the Bata Shoe company.[5]

Graves of Sonja and Thomas Bata at Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Also in the 1940s, she began collecting shoes and studying their history. In 1979, she endowed the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation. The Bata Shoe Museum, established in 1995, is the world's largest shoe museum,[6] and the core collection is attributed to Bata.[7] She was the museum's chairperson.[8]

Bata was also the chair of the National Design Council (1970s).[9] She helped establish the Toronto French School, served as director the Art Gallery of Ontario, sat on the boards of Alcan and Canada Trustco (now TD Canada Trust), affiliated with the World Wildlife Fund,[10] and became an Honorary Captain in the RCN and sponsor of HMCS Ottawa.[1]

She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1983.[11] She died at her home in Toronto on 20 February 2018, outliving her husband for nine years. She was buried alongside him at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Personal life

She had four children.[12] Her father-in-law is Tomáš Baťa, the founder of Bata Shoes.[13]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 Rezac 2005, p. 139.
  2. ↑ "Sonja I. Bata 8 nov 1926 - Google Search". google.com. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Hampson, Sarah (21 February 2018). "Sonja Bata was a guiding force of the Bata shoe enterprise". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  4. ↑ LeBlanc, Dave (27 August 2009). "The Architourist - Before modern turned retro". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Bata & Sinclair 1990, p. 132.
  6. ↑ DeMello 2009, p. 32.
  7. ↑ Grzeskowiak 2008, p. 48.
  8. ↑ Benstock & Ferriss 2001, p. 35.
  9. ↑ Bata & Sinclair 1990, p. 138.
  10. ↑ Bata & Sinclair 1990, p. 139.
  11. ↑ Bryant, Nolan (27 August 2016). "Woman of Influence: Mrs. Bata at 90". The Globe and Mail. ProQuest 2273238796. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  12. ↑ Bata & Sinclair 1990, p. 134.
  13. ↑ "Sonja Bata, founder of Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, remembered for passion, generosity - CBC News". Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Honorary Captain(N) Sonja Ingrid Bata".

Bibliography

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