Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1921-2012 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
3.5 metres of textual records
8687 photographs
7107 works on paper
12 film reels
7 video cassettes
3 paintings
4 audio reels
4 maquettes
1 mask
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Sorel Etrog (Jassy, Romania 1933 - Toronto, Canada 2014) was an artist, writer and philosopher. He began his art studies at the Institute of Painting and Sculpture in Tel Aviv; his first solo show in Tel Aviv (1958) led to a scholarship at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. In New York, he caught the attention of Samuel Zacks, which led to his first show at Gallery Moos in Toronto. Etrog subsequently immigrated to Toronto in 1963, and made his home here for the remainder of his life (apart from sojourns in Italy in the 1960s and 1970s, working with the Michelucci foundry). Etrog’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Canada and internationally, and his artwork is in the collection of major
museums and private collections worldwide, in addition to the public art works noted above. A retrospective of his work was held at the AGO from April 27-September 29, 2013. Sorel Etrog died on February 26, 2014.
Archival history
The materials now constituting the Sorel Etrog fonds were transferred directly from the artist’s studio to the Art Gallery of Ontario in April, September and December, 2014.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
AGO Credit Line: Gift of the Estate of Sorel Etrog, 2014
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of the records of the life and work of Sorel Etrog, including his personal, professional and literary correspondence; records of exhibitions and of acquisitions of his work by various galleries and collectors; administrative records related to various projects and collaborations by the artist; preparatory and experimental works on paper (“study drawings”); a selection of preparatory maquettes for sculptures; publicity materials including exhibition invitations and press clippings; and comprehensive documentation (photographs and lists) of the artist’s finished work. Three paintings by art collector and patron Samuel Zacks are also included.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is held by the Sorel Etrog Estate. Copyright belonging to other parties, such as that of photographs, may still rest with the creator of these items. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Some material is in Hebrew, Romanian, or Italian.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
An inventory of Sorel Etrog’s library (2014) is available on request. A selection of these books was acquired by the E.P. Taylor Research Library & Archives.
Note
An inventory of Sorel Etrog’s art collection (2014) is available on request. A selection of these works was acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario for the permanent collection.
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Final
Level of detail
Full
Dates of creation revision deletion
Created 24 September 2018
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Description and finding aid prepared by Amy Marshall Furness, 2014, with the assistance of Meaghan Reddy.
Uploaded and adapted by Nirvana Chainani, 2019.