Bronze 16 x 8 1/4 x 12" (40.5 x 21 x 30.4 cm), on a two-part pedestal of limestone 9 1/4" (23.5 cm) high, and oak 23 3/4" (60.3 cm) high (carved by the artist)
Brancusi often engaged with a particular motif time and again, producing multiple variants of a given subject, but Young Bird is an exception. Only two other Young Bird works exist, a 1925 marble on which Brancusi based this bronze and a larger marble made in 1929. Young Bird stands on an original pedestal designed by the artist for this sculpture, which comprises a limestone cube and an abstract cylindrically shaped wooden base, whose repetitive forms call to mind Brancusi's Endless Column.
Constantin Brancusi Sculpture, July 22, 2018–June 15, 2019
Provenance Research Project
This work is included in the Provenance Research Project, which investigates the ownership history of works in MoMA's collection.
The artist [1]; acquired by Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 1955 [2]; sold to William A. M. Burden, New York, 1955 [3]; Gift of William A. M. and Margaret Burden, New York, 1964 (donors retaining a life interest).
[1] On loan from the artist to the exhibition Brancusi, Brummer Gallery, November 17, 1933-January 13, 1934, no. 11; exhibited at the Rumanian Pavilion of the World Fair, New York, 1939.
[2] Collection files, Department of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
[3] Collection files, Department of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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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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Brancusi and Abstraction
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