Martin Hirschberg Embrace Pop Art Composition

Updated September 5, 2026

Artist: Martin Hirschberg (Canadian, b. 1937) Title: Embrace Date: 1964 Medium: Acrylic on canvas Sight Size: 30 x 45 in. Signature: Signed and dated lower right, Martin Hirschberg '64. A striking early Pop Art painting by noted Canadian artist Martin Hirschberg, executed in 1964. Featuring a bold mirrored composition of stylized female figures rendered in vibrant fields of black, magenta, yellow, blue, and orange, the work captures the playful graphic sensibility and visual energy of the Pop movement during the mid-1960s. This significant early work predates Hirschberg's well-known kinetic sculptures and public art commissions. The reverse retains original Art Gallery of Hamilton – Seventeenth Annual Exhibition (1966) exhibition labels as well as a Gallery of Ontario exhibition label, providing excellent provenance and confirming that the painting was exhibited shortly after its creation.Early paintings by Hirschberg are seldom encountered, making this an important example from the formative years of an artist who would later become recognized for his innovative kinetic sculpture, large-scale public commissions, and interior design practice. Artist BiographyMartin Hirschberg (born Toronto, 1937) is a Canadian artist, sculptor, designer, and graduate of the Ontario College of Art (OCAD). Beginning in the early 1960s, he held more than twenty solo exhibitions and earned recognition for both his paintings and his pioneering kinetic sculptures. His works are represented in the permanent collections of institutions including the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Stratford Art Gallery, and in numerous private collections across Canada and the United States. Hirschberg is also noted for creating one of Canada's largest kinetic murals for the federal government in Ottawa and a monumental reflective sculpture for Toronto's Eaton Centre. Throughout his career he has combined fine art, sculpture, and environmental design while continuing to exhibit widely.

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