CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI (1867-1957)

Bird in Space, 1923

Details

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI (1867-1957)
Bird in Space, 1923
gelatin silver print, dry-mounted on board
titled 'Vogel, Marmer' and dated '1921' [sic] in ink by Carel Visser (mount, verso)
image/mount 15¾ x 8in. (40 x 20.3cm.)

Provenance

Carel and Greet Visser, Amsterdam, gifted by artist, 1952;
Private collection, Holland, gifted by Carel Visser.

Literature

F. Bach Teja, exh. cat. 'La photographie de Brancusi', Constantin Brancusi: 1876-1957, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1955, pp. 312-369, p. 202.

Sale Room Notice

This print comes from a half-toned screen print.

Brought to you by

Alexander Montague-Sparey

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Lot Essay

Bird in Space is a series of works of 1923 by Constantin Brancusi which takes as its focus the aerodynamic quality of the bird, through the elimination of the bird's wings and feathers, the elongation of the swell of the body and the reduction of the head and beak to a slanted oval plane. The scuplture itself became the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction (Christie's New York, 2005). This record was trumped by another Brancusi sculpture, also sold at Christie's, in the Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé sale in 2009.

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