Powersoul Study, 1988 by Sorel Etrog
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Sorel Etrog
Powersoul Study, 1988
painted steel
8.75 x 7 x 5 in ( 22.2 x 17.8 x 12.7 cm ) ( overall )
Auction Estimate: $8,000.00 - $12,000.00
Acquired directly from the Artist
Private Collection, Toronto
Pierre Restany, "Sorel Etrog", London/Munich/New York, 2001, page 133
Ihor Holubizky, "Sorel Etrog: Five Decades", Toronto, 2013, page 13
Discussing the inspiration behind the transformation in his work, Etrog shared, “The hinge connected the flat surfaces with its tubular swelling, creating a dialogue between the mechanical and organic. The steel constructions were just the beginning of my work with steel. In the free-standing sculptures that followed, gone was the pedestal and the lost-wax castings. I made maquettes which were studies for large outdoor works. In 1981, I created my first large steel sculpture entitled "Spaceplough 1" which was shown at the opening of the new sculpture garden in Toronto. That was followed by other commissions for large works: "Sunlife" in 1984 and 1988 "Powersoul" for the Olympic Park in Seoul, Korea.”
This artwork is a study for the monumental ten-meter- tall sculpture commissioned for the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea. Both the study and the completed sculpture are designed to sit directly on the ground without pedestals. "Powersoul" is composed of flat forms and sheets, cleverly assembled to convey a sense of grandeur through its clear geometric simplicity. This rare model composed of steel is from an edition of three.
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Sorel Etrog
(1933 - 2014) RCA
Based in Toronto for more than fifty years, Sorel Etrog was born in Iasi, Romania, in 1933. He is most well-known as a sculptor, but he also illustrated books, painted, and wrote poetry, plays, and films. His sculptures were influenced by his adolescence spent under Soviet rule and an interest in philosophical writings that questioned the nature of post-war society. He was also inspired by his grandfather who was a carpenter. Etrog, along with his parents and sister attempted to flee Romania in 1946 but were caught. His parents were then imprisoned for several weeks. Finally, Etrog and his family left Romania in 1950 and made it to the Sha’ar Aliyaa refugee camp near Haifa, Israel.
While serving mandatory time in the Israel Defense Forces’ medical corps in 1953 he began studying art at Tel Aviv’s Arts Institute for Painting and Sculpture. Inspired by Cubist collage and modernist music, he created three-dimensional paintings, mimicking constructivist reliefs. In 1958, he received a scholarship to attend school at the Brooklyn Museum of Art School.
Upon arrival in New York City, Etrog became drawn to African and Oceanic art due to their expressive shapes and began incorporating these elements into his work. While trying to find gallery representation in New York City, Samuel J. Zachs purchased one of Etrog’s paintings and invited Etrog to spend the summer of 1959 in Southampton on Lake Huron with him. While in Southampton, Etrog created his first wooden sculptures and gained gallery representation from Gallery Moos in Toronto. This encounter inspired the young artist to apply for Canadian citizenship and eventually move to Toronto in 1963.
In his mature sculptural works, Etrog explores spontaneous symbols, primal elements and the relationship between form and symbol. The artist described his art as "tension created by pulling together and pulling apart, with being stuck and being freed, a world of grabbing and holding on and losing hold...bringing shapes together but at the same time giving each an independence."
After immigrating to Canada, Etrog had his first traveling exhibition in 1965. The show began at Gallery Moos, then traveled to New York City, Los Angeles, and Montreal. In 1966, Etrog, alongside Yves Gaucher and Alex Colville, represented Canada at the Venice Biennale. He later received several important commissions, including those for Expo ’67, Montreal; SunLife Centre, Toronto; Windsor Sculpture Garden, Windsor, Ontario; Los Angeles County Museum, and Olympic Park in Seoul, Korea. Before his death in 2014, Etrog’s art was included in a retrospective at Buschlen Mowatt in Vancouver in 2003.
Literature Sources:
"A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1977
Mikulinsky, Alma, “Sorel Etrog: Life and Work,” Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2018
We extend our thanks to Danie Klein, York University graduate student in art history, for writing and contributing this artist biography.
