TORONTO.- Today, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) announces the acquisition and planned installation of a striking bronze figure by acclaimed artist Thomas J Price. When unveiled on July 30, Moments Contained (2023) will stand in front of the main entrance of the AGO, facing north and overlooking the intersection of Dundas St. West and McCaul St. The acquisition and presentation of Moments Contained was made possible by the generous contributions of a group of donors, the majority of whom are from Toronto's Black and Caribbean communities. Lead support for the acquisition was from an anonymous donor, with significant support from David W. Binet and The Haynes-Connell Foundation.
Standing 2.7 meters tall and made of lustrous black bronze, the sculpture depicts a contemplative young Black woman, dressed in casual wear. Feet planted on the sidewalk, her demeanour is serene, and she appears outwardly confident, but the hands she hides in her pockets are visibly clenched, suggesting a tension between her inner thoughts and outward expression.
“Around the world, Price’s powerful figures are helping us reimagine public sculpture, and it is with excitement that we welcome extraordinary art to Toronto,” says Stephan Jost, Michael and Sonja Koerner, Director and CEO, AGO. “I thank the leadership of Curator Julie Crooks and the generosity and vision of the AGO community to make this significant work possible.”
Internationally renowned for his large-scale sculptural works situated in public spaces, Price’s massive bronze figures depict fictional Black subjects. Described by Price as “psychological portraits,” his sculptures are composites, combining details from ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art, with subtleties observed from daily life. His process is also an amalgamation of techniques, combining as it does traditional sculpting with the use of 3D scanning technology for body and clothing detail.
According to Price, his use of multiple sources is essential in constructing his characters and “place[s] the focus on their psychological embodiment and underlying humanistic qualities.”
No stranger to Toronto, in 2019, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery hosted Ordinary Men a major exhibition of Price’s work. In 2021, as part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art, the AGO exhibited Price’s sculpture Within the Folds (Dialogue 1). It stood on the site currently held by Brian Jungen’s Couch Monster: Sadzěʔ yaaghęhch’ill (2022).
Moments Contained is the first public artwork to be acquired by the AGO’s Department of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora, and its acquisition was spearheaded by Julie Crooks, Curator, Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora. Since being founded in 2020, the Department has worked to address historic gaps and erasures related to the representation of Africa and its diasporas through programming, acquisitions, and exhibitions. Recent additions to the collection include works by Moridja Kitenge Banza, Sandra Brewster, Jorian Charlton, Andrea Chung, Leasho Johnson, Manuel Mathieu, Bidemi Oloyede, Emmanuel Osahor, Zak Ové, Marc Padeu, Jan Wade, and Alberta Whittle.
