Symphonic Score

About Symphonic Score

In the 1960s, Canadian Otto Rogers was one of the first artists to create abstract sculptures out of welded steel and continued to do so during his long career. The elegant curves and the striking shape of this piece in steel and copper suggest musical movement and rhythm. Rogers was recognized early in his career by the renowned British sculptor, Sir Anthony Caro, who stated that Rogers' work "had a kind of magic about it," and that it was "so original, unexpected". Absolutely his own.’ A devout follower of the Baha’i faith, Otto Rogers did not view art as simply a ‘decorative thing.’

“A composition is a set of relationships which are felt by the artist, and if they are profoundly felt, that composition will have a very powerful feeling. It will attract spirit.” Otto Rogers

Otto Rogers (1935-2019) was born in Saskatchewan and acquired his MA in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin. He later taught art at the University of Saskatchewan for 30 years. His work is included in more than 30 public collections across Canada, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the McMichael Canadian Collection, and the National Gallery of Canada. Roger’s work is also in the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona and the National Gallery of Iceland, as well as numerous private and corporate collections.
Rogers also helped sustain the Emma Lake Workshops, which provide a meeting place for many of North America's most respected visual artists and critics, including Clement Greenberg, Barnett Newman, Jules Olitiski, Kenneth Noland, Jack Shadbolt, and Helen Frankenthaler. In 2007, a book of his work, Otto Donald Rogers, including a foreword by British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro, was published.