It was an extraordinary sight. Guests at the Canadian Embassy Gallery's opening party for artist Claude Descoteaux could not keep their hands off the exhibits. Here, a young woman slid her hand over gleaming bronze hips. There, a man shyly stroked the calf of a leaping, athletic male.
"I encourage people to touch my sculptures," said Descoteaux, with a grin. "It improves the patina!"
More seriously, he says, touching helps people appreciate the volume of the piece, "and the beauty, the sensuality of bronze."