Anthony Caro, “Table Bronze Chant”

Table Bronze Chant, 1980, epitomizes Anthony Caro’s unique mastery of abstraction in the traditional sculptural medium of bronze. Karen Wilkin outlines the significance of the artist’s ingenuity in the 1982 exhibition text for Gallery One’s solo exhibition of Caro’s work, Anthony Caro: Recent Bronze Sculpture:

“Until recently, bronze seemed an impossible medium for modernist constructed sculpture. Construction demanded that sculpture be made directly, by joining parts in the manner of collage; bronze sculpture had to be pre-conceived as a maquette and then cast in a single unit. Bronze also seemed inextricably tied to the past, freighted with centuries of tradition, from the anonymous maker of the Charioteer of Delphi, to Ghiberti and Donatello, Rodin and Maillol, as well as the worst banalities of the 19th century academy.

Yet since about 1976, Caro has chosen bronze for some of his most provocative and original sculpture. He has devised a way of working in bronze which preserves directness and spontaneity, mainly as a result of his explorations of clay, at the University of Syracuse […] His new clay sculptures were collages of preformed shapes — sheets of clay, formed on canvas, for example – used exactly as he had metal […] Caro is not the only contemporary modernist to test the possibilities of bronze, but he is the only one to work quite in this way […] Caro’s recent bronzes partake of both the legacy of modernist construction and the long history of the medium. His table pieces can evoke Chinese ritual vessels, not just because of their bowl and pot-derived components, but because of their alert, animate stances. Yet while the sculptures exploit the richness and beauty of bronze, and the possibility of varying its surfaces and colors, they do so in a way which turns its back on tradition. Caro’s surfaces are often blonde, pale and slightly rough, as opposed to traditional smooth patinas of dark or green tones. We are forced to look anew at the material itself, as well as its forms […] Caro’s bronzes are intimately related to his sculptures in steel, but they constitute a separate body of work, as revolutionary in its way as the steel pieces which first established his reputation. That reputation is secure. Caro is rightly acclaimed as a 20th century master. His recent bronzes simply enlarge the scope of his achievement.”[1]

[1] Karen Wilkin, Anthony Caro: Recent Bronze Sculpture, Toronto: Gallery One, 1982.

About the auction:

Showcasing a curated selection of outstanding Canadian and international artworks, our Major Spring Auction of Canadian and International Art will feature important pieces by Emily Carr, Lawren Harris, David Milne, Alfred Joseph Casson, Walter Joseph Phillips, Jack Bush, and E.J. Hughes. Highlights from the international selection include works by Jules Olitski, Karel Appel, Rudolf Ernst, and Edward Seago.

Please contact us for more information.

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Bidding is available May 14 – May 28, 2026.

On view at our Toronto gallery:

 Wednesday, May 20 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
 Thursday, May 21 from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
 Friday, May 22 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
 Saturday, May 23 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
 Sunday, May 24 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
 Monday, May 25 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
 Tuesday, May 26 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
 Wednesday, May 27 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Or by appointment.