ABOUT THE ARTIST Born in Hungary in 1937, Julius Damasdy emigrated to Canada when he was twenty years old and attended the Ontario College of Art. His first solo show in 1957 entitled, Man and Woman, debuted at the Shaw-Rimmington Gallery in Toronto and words spread about his work.
After graduation, Damasdy earned the rare distinction of being awarded both the Eaton Foundation Travelling Scholarship and the Governor General's Award (1964). He then spent a year travelling in India, Australia and New Zealand to study the "artist in his environment".
On his return to Canada, his painting and sculpting developed a strong figurative expression, and the main objective of his work became not only communicating his ideals and impressions, but seeking the best means of interpreting each particular theme. Rather than limit himself to any one media or style, Damasdy's art displays an impressive versatility. His intention was not to create a signature style that people could recognize him by, but to ensure the right style was used in order to achieve perfection in the individual work. His achievements include sculpture, both bronze cast and wood carvings; paintings, from realism to semi-abstract; pencil sketches; and visual and audio multi-media collages.
Damasdy exhibited his Sculpture 67, a life-size bronze female sculpture, at Nathan Philips Square during the opening of the new City Hall. The show, which was selected by the National Gallery of Canada for the event, was lauded by the Globe and Mail who commented on the "tremendous strength" of Damasdy's bronze figure. He went on to exhibit with the Ontario Society of Artists which won one of his pieces a place in the Ontario Gallery of Art's permanent collection. The notoriety caught the attentions of corporations such as Sony Canada, Ltd., Hugh Packard, Honeywell, Ltd., Yamaha Motor Co., IBM Canada and more, who added his art to their collections.
After much success in Canada, he travelled to the United States and won awards for his show at the Lillian Morrison Art Gallery (Florida). Upon returning home, the skillfulness of his creativity, along with his on-going experimentation, allowed him to achieve wide acclaim as being among the top artists in Canada. His work is also highly regarded today in the Europe and Australia.