impressed with signature and edition number
Of Romanian birth and Jewish faith, Etrog survived the Nazi pogroms of the Second World War as a child, later emigrating to Tel Aviv with his family. It is here, in 1958, where he had his first solo exhibition. This exhibition was impressive enough to earn the young artist a scholarship to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. While in New York, he met prominent Toronto art patrons who championed his work back home, gaining him a show at Gallery Moos in 1959. In 1963 he became a Canadian citizen and by 1966 he was already representing Canada on the international stage.
Etrog became an important figure, at the cutting edge of the modern art movement in Canada. He was a multifaceted artist: a poet, writer, dramatist, filmmaker and philosopher. Etrog was also the designer of the Genie Award (originally named the Etrog Award). Most would recognize his large public installations, often passing them unaware while about their daily routines. With elements that are figurative, mechanical, and architectural, these striking works mirror their surroundings; they are the perfect fusion of the human form and the industrialized world. Etrog’s public sculptures dot the Canadian urban landscape, with innumerable works all over Toronto, and examples in Windsor, Stratford, Montreal and Calgary. Etrog’s international recognition is also broad, with installations as far as Los Angeles, Paris and Seoul. His works are included in many important public collections such as Carnegie International in Pittsburgh, the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
