Life and Bronze: A Sculptor’s Journal by Ruth Abernethy

Description

How does a likeness become a monument? A sculptor shows you, step by step. Canadian sculptor Ruth Abernethy has spent her career catching extraordinary people in bronze — most famously her 1999 portrait of Glenn Gould, seated at his bench, lost in music. Life and Bronze: A Sculptor’s Journal is her beautifully illustrated account of how those sculptures come to life.

Part memoir, part masterclass, part celebration of Canadian art, the book follows Abernethy from first sketch to final casting: the clay models, the lost-wax foundry work, the sittings, the quiet decisions that turn metal into memory. Her opening chapter on creating the Gould — an icon contemplating an icon — is worth the price alone. She writes movingly about the sittings themselves — the conversations, the silences, and the strange intimacy of being studied.

For makers, art lovers, and Gould devotees. You will never look at a public statue the same way again.

Canadian sculptor Ruth Abernethy has spent her career capturing the likeness and spirit of extraordinary people in bronze — from her celebrated 1999 portrait of pianist Glenn Gould seated on his bench to public monuments across the country. Life and Bronze: A Sculptor’s Journal is her story of how those sculptures come to life.

Part memoir, part behind-the-scenes look at the sculptor’s craft, and part celebration of Canadian art, this beautifully illustrated volume follows Abernethy from concept to casting: the sketches, the clay models, the lost-wax foundry work, and the quiet decisions that turn metal into memory. Her opening chapter — on creating the Glenn Gould bronze — reveals how a single portrait can distill a whole personality.

Written in a warm, conversational tone, the book invites readers into studios and foundries, offering an honest account of the triumphs and frustrations of a working artist. Abernethy reflects on what bronze demands of its makers — patience, precision, and respect for the human form — and what it gives back in return.

For art lovers, aspiring sculptors, and anyone fascinated by how public art is made, Life and Bronze is both a working journal and a love letter to one of humanity’s oldest art forms.