Constantin Brancusi - Photographs New York Friday, April 5, 2024 | Phillips

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  • Constantin Brancusi’s luminous photographic study of his sculpture Mademoiselle Pogany II was originally in the collection of photographer Edward Steichen and was presumably acquired from the sculptor himself.  Steichen was first introduced to Brancusi in the studio of August Rodin in the early years of the 20th century. In 1910, Steichen encountered Brancusi’s work at the Salon des Indépendants and became enamored with a sleek bronze figure entitled L'Oiseau d'Or. When the work went unsold at the exhibition, Steichen took it as an opportunity to approach the artist about purchasing it. On Steichen’s subsequent visit to Brancusi’s studio, the two renewed their acquaintance and became close friends.  

     

    Brancusi’s photographs of his sculptures reveal his ongoing evolution in both practices. After studying at the School of Arts and Crafts in Craiova (1894–1898) and the National School of Fine Arts in Bucharest (1898–1902), Brancusi moved to Paris in 1904. The next year he enrolled at the famed École des Beaux-Arts and soon began an apprenticeship under the sculptor August Rodin. In 1905, Brancusi began photographing his own sculptures, always within the intimate and familiar confines of his studio. It was his strong belief that only he, as the sculptor, could capture the essence of his works photographically. For Brancusi, these photographs served a dual function—enhancing his own understanding of his sculptures as well as turning the photographs into ‘printed memories,’ as he termed them, depictions of the sculptures’ essence by which he wanted them remembered.

    • Provenance

      Collection of Edward Steichen
      Collection of Carl Sandburg, acquired from the above
      By descent to his daughter, Helga Sandburg

    • Literature

      Brancusi: The Sculptor as Photographer, pl. XXIII
      Centre Georges Pompidou, Brancusi Photographer, p. 66
      Michael Hue-Williams Fine Art, Constantine Brancusi Photographs, pl. 35
      Silverstein, Brancusi: The Photographs, pl. 31

365

Mademoiselle Pogany II

circa 1920
Gelatin silver print.
8 7/8 x 6 5/8 in. (22.5 x 16.8 cm)
Inscribed and incorrectly attributed to Edward Steichen by Helga Sandburg in ink on the verso.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$30,000 - 50,000 

Sold for $82,550

Contact Specialist

Sarah Krueger
Head of Department, Photographs
skrueger@phillips.com
 

Vanessa Hallett
Worldwide Head of Photographs and Chairwoman, Americas
vhallett@phillips.com

Photographs

New York Auction 5 April 2024