Bronze with black patina 17 1/4 x 8 1/2 x 12 1/2" (43.8 x 21.5 x 31.7 cm), on limestone base 5 3/4 x 6 1/8 x 7 3/8" (14.6 x 15.6 x 18.7 cm)
Not on view
Mlle Pogany is a portrait of Margit Pogany, a Hungarian artist who sat for Brancusi several times in 1910 and 1911. Shortly after her return to Hungary, Brancusi carved a marble Mlle Pogany from memory, then made a plaster mold from which he cast four additional versions, including this bronze. In representing its subject through highly stylized and simplified forms, the work departed significantly from conventional portraiture. Large almond-shaped eyes overwhelm the oval face, and a black patina represents the hair that covers the top of the head and extends over the elaborate chignon at the nape of the neck.
2019
Gallery label from Constantin Brancusi Sculpture , July 22, 2018–June 15, 2019
This sculpture is a portrait of Margit Pogany, a Hungarian artist who sat for Brancusi several times in 1910 and 1911 while she was in Paris studying painting. Shortly after her return to Hungary, Brancusi carved a marble Mlle Pogany from memory, then made a plaster mold of the work, from which he cast four additional versions, including this one, in bronze. In representing its subject through highly stylized and simplified forms, the work was a significant departure from conventional portraiture. Large almond-shaped eyes overwhelm the oval face, and a black patina represents the hair that
covers the top of the head and extends over the elaborate chignon at the nape of the neck. As with other motifs, this was a subject Brancusi would return to and rework in the years to come.
Provenance Research Project
This work is included in the Provenance Research Project, which investigates the ownership history of works in MoMA's collection.
1913, Constantin Brâncuși, Paris
1913 – 1953, Margit Pogany (the sitter), Budapest and Camberwell, Australia, acquired from the artist
1953, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, purchased from Margit Pogany
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Constantin Brancusi
French, born Romania. 1876–1957 36 works onlineConstantin Brancusi sought to expand the bounds of sculptural language. At the core of this pursuit was an abiding interest in materiality, which he probed tirelessly across wood, bronze, and stone.
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