Skip to main content Skip to Search Box
Listen
Email

Topic Pages contain an overview, definitions, biographies, related topics, images, plus links to relevant articles and other content provided by your library. Topic Page: Brancusi, Constantin, 1876-1957

Definition: Brancusi from The Macquarie Dictionary

Constantin 1876—1957, French sculptor born in Romania, noted for the simplicity of his abstract forms.

Summary Article: Brancusi, Constantin from The Columbia Encyclopedia
Fig192a
Image from: Serpentine marble in Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils
Cite image Cite Image

(bränkyō'zē, Rom. brän'kōsh), 1876–1957, Romanian sculptor. Brancusi is considered one of the foremost of modern artists. In 1904 he went to Paris, where he worked under Mercié. He declined Rodin's invitation to work in his studio. Because of his radical, economic style, his abstract sculptures, The Kiss (1908), Sleeping Muse (1910), and the portrait of Mlle Pogany (1923; Musée d'Art moderne, Paris) were the subjects of much controversy. He altered his technique from modeling to carving c.1910. In 1927 Brancusi won a lawsuit against the U.S. customs authorities who attempted to value his sculpture as raw metal. The suit led to legal changes permitting the importation of abstract art free of duty. Brancusi's work is notable for its extreme simplification of form, its organic and frequently symbolic character, and its consummate craftsmanship. He had a profound understanding of materials, working primarily in metal, stone, and wood. Bird in Space (1919; Mus. of Modern Art, New York City) is a characteristic work. Others are in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City, and in the museums of Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia.

  • See catalogs by S. Geist (1969, 1975).
  • biographies by I. Jianu (1963), R. Varia (1986), and E. Shanes (1989).
  • studies by S. Geist (1968) and A. T. Spear (1969).
The Columbia Encyclopedia, © Columbia University Press 2017
"Brancusi, Constantin." In The Columbia Encyclopedia, by Paul Lagasse, and Columbia University. 7th ed. Columbia University Press, 2017. https://search.credoreference.com/content/topic/brancusi_constantin_1876_1957
Brancusi, constantin. (2017). In P. Lagasse & Columbia University, The Columbia encyclopedia. (7th ed.). [Online]. New York: Columbia University Press. Available from: https://search.credoreference.com/content/topic/brancusi_constantin_1876_1957 [Accessed 23 April 2018].
"Brancusi, Constantin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Paul Lagasse, and Columbia University, Columbia University Press, 7th edition, 2017. Credo Reference, https://search.credoreference.com/content/topic/brancusi_constantin_1876_1957. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.

Related Credo Articles

Full text Article Brancusi Constantin (1876 - 1957)
A Biographical Dictionary of Artists, Andromeda

Constantin Brancusi left his peasant family in the village of Hobitza in Rumania when he was 11 years old. He lived and worked in...

Full text Article Brancusi, Constantin (1876 - 1957)
The Bloomsbury Guide to Art

He was from a peasant family, but studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Bucharest from 1898. In 1904 he went to Paris...

Full text Article Brancusi, Constantin
Philip's Encyclopedia

1876-1957 French sculptor. His primitive style is revealed in a series of wooden sculptures, including Prodigal Son (1914), Sorceress ...

See more from Credo