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Bird in
Space
1932-40
Polished brass
151.7 cm high, including base
76.2553 PG 51 |
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The development of the bird theme in Costantin
Brancusi oeuvre can be traced from its appearance
in the Maiastra
sculptures, through the Golden Bird group, and, finally,
to the Bird in Space series. Sixteen examples of the
Bird in Space sequence, dating from 1923 to 1940, have
been identified. The streamlined form of the present
Bird in Space, stripped of individualizing features,
communicates the notion of flight itself rather than
describing the appearance of a particular bird. This
sculpture could have been cast as early as 1932 and
finished in1940. The support of the present example
is incorporated as an organically irregular stem, providing
an earthbound anchor for the sleek, soaring form.
As was customary in Brancusi’s work, the brass
is smoothed and polished to the point where the materiality
of the sculpture is dissolved in its reflective luminosity.
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