High Society, 1964, circa 1964

Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York 1965 

Private Collection, New York Christie's, auction, New York, 14 December 2023, lot 47 

Private Collection, Toronto

Sorel Etrog: Recent Sculpture, Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, February 1965

Carlo L. Ragghianti, Sorel Etrog, Florence, 1968, pages 18-19 

Pierre Restany, Sorel Etrog, Munich/London/New York, 2001, pages 27, 77, reproduced page 29 (on display as part of the 1965 exhibition at Pierre Matisse Gallery)

In 1963 Sorel Etrog closed his New York studio and settled in Toronto. His studio was established on an empty floor of the former Tip Top Tailors clothing factory near the waterfront. Etrog writes that this was a wonderful space where he experienced the most prolific two years of his life. The artist had quickly established himself as one of North America’s pre-eminent sculptors. In Pierre Restany's publication, the artist states, “sculpture for me is like haiku, the essence of an idea. It’s minimal and refined, condensed and to a degree symbolic. It feels like I am freezing a moment in time, hoping the viewer will defrost it.” 

The year 1964 can be viewed as the beginning of the artist’s Links period. Following a trip to Europe with his sister in 1963, Etrog discovered Etruscan sculpture at the Archeological Museum in Florence, which he wrote inspired Links. Etrog describes that one of the most challenging dilemmas sculptors face is how to join different parts of the body, or different shapes, without gluing or welding them. Recalling his discovery of the Etruscan links, Etrog shared that they “showed me how to join multiple shapes organically.” Art historian Pierre Restany asserted that the Link, from 1964 on, became the prime factor of Etrog’s vocabulary. 

Etrog captures his new form of anatomy in High Society, connecting and articulating the joints of the body. The metal components flow and intertwine with one another, creating a striking presence that stands boldly in front of the viewer.