MARYON KANTAROFF
MARYON KANTAROFF "BLACK BEAUTY" GILT BRONZE, 1974
Maryon Kantaroff (1933–2019) was one of Canada's foremost sculptors. During her lifetime she was recognized for her mastery of bronze and her significant contributions to postwar Canadian sculpture. Born in Toronto to Bulgarian parents, she studied architecture at the University of Toronto before continuing her training in London, where sculpture became the focus of her practice.
Her sculpture balances monumentality with remarkable intimacy. She developed a distinctive visual language rooted in the observation of animals, the human figure, and the natural world, translating organic forms into compositions of quiet elegance and enduring strength. Of course there is a strong influence of the 20th century's master sculptors like Brancusi and Henry Moore.
While many of Kantaroff's contemporaries explored industrial materials, she remained committed to bronze, pushing the material toward greater fluidity and fresh elegance. Her sculptures reveal a sophisticated understanding of volume and negative space, allowing simplified forms to convey both physical presence and emotional resonance.
"Black Beauty" exemplifies Kantaroff's ability to distill the essence of an emotion into a sculptural form. She captures movement, weight, and character through elegantly simplified contours, allowing the bronze to communicate both vitality and stillness. The work embodies Kantaroff's conviction that sculpture should evoke an emotional response through its physical presence. Is the artist depicting something specific with this form such as a mother and child or a lover's kiss? Or is this pure abstraction and open to interpretation?
Kantaroff established an international reputation through exhibitions across Canada, England, and continental Europe. Her work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Vancouver Art Gallery, among others. Her large-scale sculptures can be seen in several public spaces around Canada.
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"Black Beauty"
Canada, 1974
Gilt Bronze with clear acrylic base
Incised signature, date, and edition
Edition: AP 6
18.5"H 5.25"W 6.75"L
Overall good condition; minor wear consistent with age. Full report on request.
Note: the price is $12,500 CAD
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