Waterbury

Waterbury is a wood-carved sculpture, a material that Etrog used during his early sculpting days, before bronze became his main material of choice. The style of the sculpture is inspired by the African and Oceanic works he first saw at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, an influence revealed by the exploration of mass and volume at the sculpture’s top. The sculpture’s elongated and elegant stem heralds the biomorphic style of Etrog’s work in the 1960s.

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The title Waterbury reveals the personal significance the sculpture held for Etrog; it is the name of the US town where his aunt lived, who together with her family, offered him emotional and material support during his first years abroad. And indeed, Etrog never sold the piece and kept it in his possession until the end of his life.