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Abstract Sculpture

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Abstract sculpture is a conceptual rather than actual representation of the form being sculpted. It is an intuitive art form. The lines tend to be more fluid and simplified than those which fall into the category of realism. As is the case with abstract painting, there is much debate over the artistic quality of this type of art. Despite its detractors who 'just don't get it', this art form is extremely popular with those who enjoy its simplicity, clean lines, and minimalism.

Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957) was a Romanian-born artist, widely considered to be the pioneer of abstract sculpture. Born in
Pestisani Gorj, Bruncusi studied art in Craiova and Bucharest before going to Paris in 1904. There he worked briefly with another
important artist and sculptor, Auguste Rodin. Brancusi's early works were influenced by Rodin and the Impressionists, but he quickly
developed his own style of sculpting boldly simplified forms that revolutionized sculpture and invented modernism. He moved away from
using live models common in figurative sculpture, and created a simple, streamlined style. He once said when describing his style:
"One arrives at simplicity ... as one approaches the real meaning of things."

Brancusi was fond of using simple shapes such as the egg/oval, the elongated cylinder and other geometric shapes. Two of his most
famous works are Sleeping Muse (1906, Museum of Art, Bucharest), and Bird in Space (1919, Museum of Modern Art, New York City).
Bird in Space was refined to the point of almost total abstraction. In fact, when Edward Steichen, a prominent photographer, purchased
one of these birds and tried to bring it into the United States, the Customs officers did not accept the bird as a work of art and
taxed it as a piece of metal.

Brancusi died in Paris on March 16, 1957. His works have inspired and paved the way for many abstract and contemporary artists of today.
His works are now displayed in the New York Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Art of Romania (in Bucharest), and all around
the world. The Philadelphia Museum of Art currently has the largest collection of Brancusi sculptures in the United States.

Brancusi's sculptures have sold for record setting prices. In 2004, "Danaide" sold for $18.1 million, the highest sum ever paid for a sculpture
at auction. In May 2005, Christie's auctioned a piece from the Bird in Space series, which broke the prior record, selling for $27.5 million.

Quotations by Constantin Brancusi:

"The people who call my work 'abstract' are imbeciles; what they call 'abstract' is in fact the purest realism, the reality of which is not
represented by external form but by the idea behind it, the essence of the work."

"Create like a god, command like a king, work like a slave."

"In the shadow of a big tree, cannot grow up another tree." , when asked by Rodin to be his assistant.

Click here to view our collection of Abstract and Contemporary Sculptures