Canadian Sculptor

While Sorel Etrog was born in Eastern Europe, it didn't take long for him to become well known as a Canadian sculptor. Shortly after his first solo exhibition in Tel Aviv, Etrog was offered a scholarship to study art in New York. When he came to North America, his abstract art was met with critical acclaim, and he soon found himself receiving many offers to study and work in the United States and Canada as a sculpture artist.

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After Etrog received a scholarship to study at Brooklyn Museum Art School, he began to work in a studio in Ontario and began his track to become a world-renowned Canadian sculptor. Etrog connected with will known Canadian sculpture and art collector Sam Zacks, and they began a friendship that allowed Etrog's work to flourish. Shortly after Zacks and Etrog began to work together, Etrog landed his first solo art exhibition in Canada at Gallery Moos in Toronto. The exhibition was a hit - people from far and wide were mesmerized by the Canadian sculptor's unique style. One of the many people to take notice of Etrog's works was United States art phenom James Johnson Sweeny, the director of New York's world-famous Guggenheim Museum. He selected one of Etrog's sculpture works for exhibition at the well-known venue, catapulting Etrog to fame in the United States and Canada in 1959.

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After the Guggenheim display, demand for Etrog's works rose fast in North America. In 1961, famed United States art collector Joseph Hirshhorn purchased several of Etrog's works, creating a sudden high demand for more of his Eastern European/ avant-garde influenced work.