BRANCUSI photographer

BRANCUSI
photographer

Preface by Pontus Hutten

Photographs introduced and selected by

Marielle Tabart and Isabelle Monod-Fontaine

Translated by Kim Sichel

An Agrinde Book
in collaboration with Zabriskie Editions

Agrinde Publications Ltd, New York

 Origi nal edition pub li shed by the Ce ntre Georges Pompidou:
© Le Centre Nat io nal d Art et de Culture. Musee Nat iona l dArt Moderne. Paris, 1977.
© Agrinde Publications Ltd.
New York, 1979, for the American ed ition.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

or transmi tted in any fonn by any means, e lectronic or mechanical ,
including photocopying and recording , or by any information storage
or retrieval system, w ithout permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Co ngress Cata logi ng in Publication Data

Brancusi, Constantin , 1876- 1957.

Brancusi. pho tographer.

Tran slation of Bra11c11si plwrographe.

Bibliog raphy: p.
Includes index.
I. Photography, Art istic. 2. Brancus i, Constantin , 1876 -1957.
I. Tabart, Mariel le. II. Monod -Fontain e,
Isabe lle. III. Title.
TR65 3. B6813 779'.9'730924 79 -23563
ISBN 0-9601068-4-7
ISBN 0-9601068 -2-0 pbk.

Translated by Kim Siche l

American edition produced by
Bob Ade lman
American edit ion designed by
Arnold Sko lni ck

Plates printed in Fran ce

Bound by Sendor Bindery, New York

Agrinde Publi cations Ltd .

665 Fifth Avenue, New York , New Yo rk 10022
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface page 9

Introduction page 10

Plates page 13

Notes page 117

Bibliography page 124

 PREFACE

Brancusi's work speaks to us of love and power. The man austerity of the symbolism allow nothing to escape the
himself embodied strength and tenderness. In his sculp- eye. The man and his work exert the same authority. The
ture, his drawings, and his photographs, he understood eye and its reflection; two kings meet.
the balance of these vital forces. Brancusi lived in such solitude that he became almost
Brancusi's oeuvre is outstanding because he chose, god-like. Although he lived in Paris, his daily existence
like his friend Marcel Duchamp, to work in a strictly was not dissimilar to that of his parents, who lived in
limited world. That world was his studio. There, harmony Valachie, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. His
reigned. Was this a pantheistic esthetic, or an esthetic life was as simple as his work, totally focussed on
pantheism? Like the light which heightens form in Ver- the essential. He made sculpture, as artists have done
meer int~riors, each surface in Brancusi's studio comes to through the ages.
life. In this place - light, space, and form are one. He cast the bronzes in his own forge. He personally cut
Thoughts are alike and interchangeable. Distinctions the oaks from which were sculpted the endless columns.
between architecture, furniture and object, base and He formed the birds in marble in a similar fashion, using
sculpture dissolve. Everything in the studio is suffused in the same chisel from first to last blow.
the glow of Brancusi's love and strength. These photographs are invaluable testaments to Bran-
Brancusi's sculpture imparts a vision of time and eter- cusi's work. Because of them, we know how to see and
nity that no other work of modem art can approach. The place the sculptures. They mark not only the stages of his
unique perfection of forms found in the sculpture and the work from one piece to the next, but the evolution of a
drawings (linear sketches locating the pieces in space) single sculpture over a period of years. Drawings and
emerges from an absence of style-an extreme simplicity. photographs provide significant information about the
They awaken in us a sense of the universal and the sacred. creation of a work from the moment when imagination
The themes of the sculptures are simple: man, woman, seized on an important detail to the development of an
bird, fish, the creation of the world, the newborn, eternity. observation or an idea. The final form is expressed in a
They touch us as directly as the sea or a starry sky single continuous line.
No mere theory can come between these works and When Brancusi photographed his studio he recalled
man. Their vitality is eternal. The forms are pure without the entire history of the relationship between sculpture
being geometric, surreal without being morbid, abstract and space. As his own concentration intensified, the in-
yet shaped. The fullness of the smooth surfaces and the terior light of his work was revealed.
Pontus Hulten

9
INTRODUCTION

As early as 1905, Brancusi made photographs to record surroundings - the studio. We share Brancusi's vision
his works. It is not insignificant that his first supporters through the lens of his camera, though he remains hidden
were also great photographers: his friend Edward Stei- most of the time. Traces occasionally reveal his presence:
chen, and Alfred Stieglitz, who organized his first one- his reflection and that of his camera in certain polished
man show at the Photo-Secession Gallery in New York in bronzes, the cable release with which he clicks his
1914. Meeting Man Ray, soon after the latter's arrival in shutter, or even the curtain which he pulls or moves~
Paris in 1921, further crystallized Brancusi's interest in The spectator becomes a veritable "voyeur" in the studio.
photography and its relation to his work. "It is the spectators who make paintings," said his
"What interested him," recounts Man Ray! "were friend Marcel Duchamp.
good.photographs of his works. The few reproductions In its first perspective - the use of photography as a
he had seen disappointed him. He showed me a photo working tool - a whole series of negatives falls into the
which Stieglitz had sent him, taken at his New York category of documents. There are successive stages of a
exhibition. 'The photograph is beautiful,' he said, 'but it work which one can leaf through (like that done for
does not represent my work.' Only he would know how to Matisse's painting La blouse roumaine, 1940). The photo-
photograph his sculpture. Would I help him to obtain the graph allows us to fix the date of conception of a piece in
necessary materials, and give him some advice? 'With a certain material (cf. pl. 17, 30), or the studies collected
pleasure,' I replied. The next day we purchased a camera around a finished work (cf. I; ecorche, pl. 1). Or it can
and a tripod~ I suggested that a photographic Jab make document the evolution of a single subject from its rough
the prints. But Brancusi wished to do this also. All alone, form, when the definite shape is just beginning to
he built a darkroom in a comer of his studio ... " emerge, (cf. Danaide, pl. 5, 7; Portrait ofMme. L. R., pl. 10,
The enormous photographic documentation began in 16; The Sorceress, pl. 17, 38, 41). In this manner, we see the
the 1920's, remaining in the recesses of his studio until slow evolution of Adam and Eve; two distinct and auton-
1957, when it was bequeathed to the Musee National df\rt omous forms are scattered in the studio, then modified
Modeme. From this group, close to 560 original nega- and reunited in a single sculpture (cf. pl. 17 to 21).
tives have been counted (most of them on glass). There Otherwise, the photographs regroup two or three
are 1250 prints~ all printed by the artist Brancusi made at works in shortlived connection. This can create a sepa-
least two prints of each negative, and often more- some- rate and complete sculpture worthy of its own name; i.e.
times up to 20 varying in size and framing, which The Child in the World, formed by the assembling of
explains the large number of remaining documents. three works in wood, little French Girl, Cup II and a
These photographs, all closely related to his sculpture, Column, (pl. 9) . Many 'mobile groups,' as Brancusi
were never taken carelessly or accidentally. They are the called them, dense and full of poetry, can be identified
fruits of the artist's directed and conscious research, in the studio bequest. Not all of them were named.
marking in different ways the stages of his creative pro- Examples include Mlle Pogany II coupled with Golden
cess. One can distinguish two main directions. For Bran- Bird (pl. 15), Eve coupled with The Newborn (pl. 18),
cusi, photography was a working tool, a way of control- Eve with Plato (pl. 26), The Newborn with Head of
ling a work in progress, of placing it variously among Sleeping Child (pl. 59).
other sculptures. It was also, primarily for Brancusi but Photography is also a means for Brancusi fo experi-
also for the spectator, an intimate view of the work and its ment with pedestals (pl. 20 to 23). If one looks at all the

10
 studio views, it is striking to see how often the question of same way, he multiplies the views of a single subject by
the pedestal preoccupied Brancusi. For him, the base is a changing the angle of vision. Prints from these almost-
significant combination of forms which emphasizes the identical negatives form series, and become simultaneous
piece better than a simple ·stand. Brancusi continually in space rather than successive in time-as a film is. Bran-
moves works from their bases, and with the help of the cusi used small filmed sequences as well, choosing contig-
camera as a study and comparative tool, tries several uous proofs which differed only slightly. Man Ray adopt-
different arrangements. The pedestals themselves often ed this procedure to do the sculptor's portrait in 1930. 5
derive from the assemblage of several simple forms (pl.
11, 47). Thus the photographic space amplifies the real Brancusi the photographer invites us to see more
space in the studio. Through the photographs, the sculp- clearly in various ways. First is his concern for the organi~
tures have a remarkable life which permits them to be sation of the subject and the framing of the image. The
here and there, on several bases at a time (pl. 14 and 15, studio views are significant in this respect, for the works
18 and 19, 38 and 40, 59 and 60). Works can move from are placed in relation to each other and to their environ-
one end of the studio to the other, and can be magi- ment, instead of being isolated or simply juxtaposed. Two
cally grouped, confronted or isolated. In photographing versions of the first Mlle Pogany confront each other in a
his sculptures, Brancusi makes them live in another Studio View from 1920 (pl. 13). The polished bronze
space, one which he dominates and unfolds until it opposes and responds to the veined marble. The repeti-
becomes larger than the physical space of the studio tion of the same form in a different material forces us to
in the Impasse Ronsin. appreciate the subject of Mlle Pogany in a new manner,
As a working document and an instrument of vision, and one renews the vision of the other. On the right, one
the photographs encourage us not only to see with the eye finds the same discrete and reciprocal opposition with
of Brancusi, but to look at his work as he wished us to see Head of A Child. In wood, this almost-invisible oval
it. In the choice of photographs in this book, the personal emphasizes the marble ovoid of Beginning of the World.
thought or vision of the artist is less important than Bran- Finally, as one moves beyond the sculptures as identifi-
cusi's attempt to establish a relationship with the viewer. able figures, the eye sees in their superposition a play of
"Don't search for obscure formulas or mystery. I give you forms that is cylindrical, curved and square, vertical and
pure joy. Look at the sculptures until you see them ... " In horizontal. In another view (pl. 35), Torso ofA Young Girl
spite of this simple aphorism, Brancusi demands more in onyx is posed on the armchair as a Head of A Child or
from us than a passive contemplation. He requires an Newborn might be. Only memory tells us that this is a
active perception. The sculptor uses refined means - torso, because a primary and naive vision associates it
hardly visible at first glance. The numerous versions of with a reclining oval. What is essential is not to know
the muses and birds; always modified by the repair of whether we see a torso or a newborn, but to see the forms
plaster or polishing of bronze, seem identical to the un- anew in their simplicity. Here we are carried into a certain
trained eye, but reveal infinite differences under close abstraction. This abstraction, which moves between the
examination and touch. Brancusi creates these irregular- concrete and the geometric, is Brancusi's own.
ities and multiple, subtle variations to compel us to hone Research on composition can go as far as a real stage-
our vision until we see his work close up, from all its set, where the artist uses such theatrical tools as changes
angles, in all its variety as he wished us to see it. In the in movement and lighting to transform the perception of

11
his work. Subtle changes in the arrangement of the studio to disappear. In any case, the hundreds of preserved pho-
-such as minimal displacements or a substitution-focus tographs prove that Brancusi never ceased looking at it,
our attention on two or more photographs which seem considering it from all angles, letting it surprise him, or
closely related in a series (pl. 31, 32) . Lighting may vary organizing it to his will. The views of the studio transmit
as well. In three studio views (pl. 43-45), marble is suc- this fascination to us, and it is these photographs which
ceeded by bronze, day by night When he photographs a appeared, with Brancusi's permission, in the first articles
single work, Brancusi uses comparable methods. There about him (Little Review, 1921; This Quarter; 1925).
are ten views of Mlle Pogany II in the studio bequest Brancusi's photographs, especially those of the studio,
which were taken in this manner (pl. 68-70) . These pre- enable us to renew our vision of his sculptures. Tied to their
sent ~o many different visions that she seems, as one view environment, they no longerappearas separate works ofart,
follows another, to be round or hollow, slim or full, occu- but as elements of one closed and coherent world, an or-
pying the space in different ways. Here the viewer circles ganized life recorded by repeated exposures. As a whole,
around the piece; in other cases the piece moves around they constitute a visual journal of Brancusi's oeuvre, as
by itself, by a turning base or even a motor, arrested in integral to the comprehension of his work as Delacroix's
passage by the camera which reconstructs its successive journal or Van Gogh's letters were to their painting.
images. (Leda, pl. 74-76).
Isabelle Monad-Fontaine Marielle Tabart
Brancusi affirms hi s vision and most decisively com-
municates it to us in the play of light and lighting effects.
Birds are the privileged objects of this research. Light
and shadow exalt the transparency of white marble or the
dark glow of its double (pl. 86, 87) . At times, the bird
soars out of the dusk like a source of light (pl. 28) , or 1
Man Ray, Autopon rait, 1964, p. 189.
confronts its projected shadows - black or grey silhou- ' In the atelier, there are still a rack tripod, a 13 x 18cm camera, (Thornton
Pickard , triple " Imperi al' extension seri es), with a Berthiot Eurygraphe lens
ettes which define its volume by contrast (pl. 29) . Con- (2 50 foca l length) , a d ro p c loth, a collapsibl e 20 x 25cm camera, a lens ca se
versely, Brancusi may allow natural light to enter freely probably arranged by Brancusi him self for a small darkroo m, several glass
fra mes fo r co nt act prints, o btai ned by the si mpl e ex posure to light of a
through the studio window. He may also play with light negati ve pressed under glass. Several of these frames we re later used by
as if he wanced to solidify the sun's path over an immobile Brancusi to frame hi s print s.
-'For the negatives, there ex ist 122 studio views, 253 views of works, 183
form (The Seal, Princess X, pl. 78; the Bird in Space series, documents. For the print s there are 251 studi o views, 697 view.> of wo rks, 351
doc uments.
pl. 88-91). However, he does not always resort to such 4
See pl. 87.
complex procedures, and often photographs the studio in 5 " Whe n I to ld him that I wa nted to use a portrait of him in a book I was

pre paring to publi sh, he fo rbade it. Hi s o nly authori zed portrait, he said ,
its daily disorder,' as an unexpected visitor might find it would be an image chose n by him , in a film that would be do ne of him. I
confo rmed to all hi s wi shes, and appeared at hi s studio with a profe ss ional
camera. I filmed a hundred or so meters of film while he moved abo ut in his
Finally, it seems that despite the many views of isolated studio. We projected the film at reduced speed , and he pointed to the shots he
sculptures, the studio is the main subject. Brancusi approved of. Man Ray, op. cit., p. 192.
6
"Some time later he showed me hi s photographs. They were foggy, over- or
wanted to leave his studio to a museum in its original under-exposed, streaked and stai ned. 'Thi s is how my work sho ul d be re pro-
state, as if this place-full of objects and artworks by his du ced,' he said. He may be rig ht: o ne of the golden birds was shot under a ray
of sun , so that it radi ated as if with an aureola, which gave the work an
own hand-were an entity, a work which he did not want ex pl os ive character. " Man Ray, op. cit., p. 189.

12
1 Vue d'atelier: L 'ecorche, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Bucarest 1901
2 Vue d'atelier aLa priere, 54 rue du Montparnasse, vers 1907
3 Le supp/ice, 1907
4 Vue d 'atelier, vers 1907
5 Vue d'atelier avec modele, fin 1907
 7 Danaide, 1908 -1909

6 Le sommeil, 1908
8 Brancusi dans son atelier, vers 1914-1915
9 « L 'enfant au monde, groupe mobile», 1917
JO Vue de !'atelier, 8 Impasse Ronsin, 1917
JI Vue d'atelier avec Maiastra, vers 1917
 13 Vue d 'atelier, Mlle Pogany IT, 1920

12 Brancusi dans son atelier, vers 1923

15 Vue d'atelier, Mlle Pogany II, L 'oiseau d'or, 1920
16 Vue d'ate/ier, Portrait de Mme L.R., 1920
 j
•
i /:
I
!

... .
17 Vue d'atelier, Eve et La sorciere, 1920
 I .

~
.,_.ir·
;.
.. ::
18 Vue d'atelier, Eve, vers 1920

19 Vue d'atelier, Adam et Coupe, Eve, vers 1921-1922

pages suivantes : 20 Vue d'atelier, « Le coq gaulois », debut 1922

21 Vue d'atelier, Adam et Eve, debut 1922
22 Vue d'atelier, trois soc/es, debut 1922
26 Vue d'atelier, Eve et Pia ton, debut 1922
27 Brancusi au travail dans /'atelier, debut 1922
28 Vue d'atelier, L 'oiseau dans l'espace. vers 1923
29 Vue d'atelier, L 'oiseau dans l'espace, vers 1923
30 Vue d'ate/ier, L 'oiseau dans l'espace, 1923
31 Vue d'ensemb/e de /'atelier, 1923
32 Vue d'ensemble de /'atelier, 1923
32 Vue d'ensemble de /'atelier, 1923
3 Vue de !'atelier, Mlle Pogany I!, vers 1923

34 Vue d'atelier, Mlle Pogany I!, vers 1923

pages suivantes: 35 Vue d'atelier, vers 1923

 37 Vue d'atelier, La negresse blanche !, 1923

36 Vue d'atelier, L 'oiselet !, vers 1925

38 Vue d'atelier, La sorciere, vers 1924 -1925
39 Brancusi dans son atelier, vers 1924 -1925
40 Vue d 'atelier, vers 1924-1925
 "'tt')
\ -i y
42 Vue generate de /'atelier, vers 192

41 Vue d'atelier, La sorciere, Le chef, 1925

43 - 44 -45 Vues d'atelier, Colonnes sans fin, debut 1925
46 Vue d'atelier, Le nouveau-ne, vers 1929 -1930
47 Vue d'atelier, socles, 11 impasse Ronsin, vers 1929-1930
48 Man Ray dans /'atelier, vers 1930
49 Brancusi et une de ses amies, vers 1930
 52 Vue d'atelier, le bouquet, apres 193l

pages precedentes: 50 et 51 Vues d'atelier, Le poisson et trois Colonnes sans fin, apres 1930
53 Brancusi dans /'atelier, autoportrait, vers 1933 -1934
54 Vue d'atelier, vers 1933 -1934
57 Coin de /'atelier, 11 impasse Ronsin
pages precedentes: 55 Vue d'atelier, !es Coqs, vers 1941-1944
56 Vue d'atelier, /es Coqs, le Roi des rois, vers 1945-1946
58 Lafontaine de Narcisse, vers 1909
 60 Le nouveau-ne II. 1·erc; /92l

59 Le nouveau-ne ll, vers 1920 et Tete d'enfant endormi, 1906

 63 Mlle Pogany I, de profit, 191

pages suivantes: 64 Mlle Pogany JI, de profit, 1919

65 - 66 - 67 Mlle Pogany JI, de pro/ii, de trois quarts, de dos, 1920
68- 69- 70 Mlle Pogany III, de profit, de trois quarts, de face, 1931
71 Le commencement du monde, vers 1920
72 Leda, 1920
73 Leda, 1926
74 Leda, de profit, 1926
75 et 76 Leda, de trois quarts et de dos, 1926
 78 Prin cesse X , 19 /t

77 Femme se regardant dans un miroir, 1909

79 L e poisson dans /'atelier, apres 1926
 ..
•
. /-
-
,. ,- , /

80 Le poisson dans !'atelier, apres 1926

pages suivantes: 81 La negresse blanche, 1923

82 La negresse blonde, 1926
83 Le nouveau-ne II, 1925, et La muse endormie, vers 1920
84 Le nouveau-ne II, 1928
 85 Maiastra, 1915 -191.

paf?es suivantes: 86 L 'oiseau dans l'espace, 1931-1933

87 L 'oiseau dans l'espace, 1930
88 89
91 L 'oiseau dans f'espace, 1930
92 Brancusi travail/ant a une co fonne sans fin , vers 1924
93 Brancusi travaillant aune colonne sans fin, vers 1924

pages suivantes: 94 et 95 La colonne sans fin dans le Jardin de Steichen a Voulangis, apres 1920
96 La colonne sans fin, 1937
 NOTES

Each note includes the following: the title identifying the photo- negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 196, I print (detail of the model).
graph; the date, not underlined for the date of the photograph, and On the left, we see the model who posed for Brancusi at the time
underlined for the date of the sculpture photographed; the origin of of The Prayer. At her feet, in addition to a 1907 bronze (Head of a
the image used fpr reproduction (print from the original negative, or Young Boy) , there is a grouping of carved marble and stone pieces
original print). Under the heading Br. Inv. (Brancusi Inventory) are from 1907, more or less rough-hewn. From left to right, Torment Ill,
the inventory number of the negative in the Brancusi Studio, and the marble; Head of a Child, stone; Head of a Youn g Girl. stone
number of existing original prints. Under the heading Bibi. (with (cf. pl. 7).
abbreviations which refer to the bibliography on p. 124) is the chron-
ological list of journals and works where these photographs were 6. Sleep, 1908 (print from the original negative). Br. Inv. I negative
published. MNAM refers to Musee National dl\rt Moderne. ph. 203. Bibi. Zervos, 1957, repr. p. 26; Giedion-Welcker, 1958, repr.
p. 58, pl. IO; Brezianu 1964-2 repr. p. 391, Brezianu 1974, repr. p. 99.
Cover image: Self:Portrait in the Studio. c. 1920-22? (print from an As the first idea for a Sleeping Muse, this marble was purposely
original negative) , Br. Inv. I negative, ph. 709, l print. left in an unfinished state (Muzeul de Arta, Bucharest). It was pre-
ceded by another plaster version, Repose, which has since been lost.
I. View ol the Studio, I:ecorche. (Flayed Male Nude) , Ecole des It is documented for us by a postcard from Brancusi to a friend
Beaux-Arts, Bucharest, 1901 (Copy print of the artist from a vintage (Brezianu, 1964-2, p. 389).
print). Br. Inv. I original photograph ph. 160, 2 negatives, 2 prints.
Bibi. Brezianu 1974, repr. p. 228. 7. Danaide. 1908-9 (print from the original negative). B1: Inv. I origi-
In addition to I: ecorche, a clay model executed in 190!, two other nal negative; ph. 206, 6 prints. Bibi. The Arts, 1926, repr. p. 143;
youthful studies from 1901 are visible (Chara cter Stud)i Relief). The Giedion-Welcker, 1958, repr. p. 53, pl.7.
photograph illustrates different stages in the preparation of Compare with Head ofa Young Girl. which was in a rough state in
L ecorche : a plaster, a classical Mars Borghese, a model of a flayed 1907 (see pl. 5).
male figure, a skeleton, and a page from a sketchbook.
8. Brancusi in his Studio, c. 1914-15 (print from the original nega-
2. View of the Studio, and The Prayn; 54 rue du Montparnasse, tive). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 708. Bibi. Geist 1975, repr. p. 166.
c. 1907, (print from the original negative). B1: Inv. 1 negative ph. 193. Brancusi is seated on the top portion of what would become The
Bibi. One very similar view is reproduced in This Quarte1; 1925, Arch (in wood). This piece was sold in 1916 to John Quinn , one of the
pl. 40. most important collectors of Brancusi 's work. The arch, now in the
Above the original plaster of The Prayer (the bronze version was Philadelphia Museum of Art, is in another photograph of the sculp-
to have been installed in the cemetery of Buzau, Rumania) several tor's studio: like a niche for a religious statue, it frames the first
rough drafts (since lost) can be seen, particularly a Bust ofa Woman 'archaic' version of The Little French Girl (cf. Geist 1975, pl. 91
( 1907). On the side, on two columnar bases, are two versions of and 92.)
Torment ( 1907). The marble version , which was never completed, is
one of Brancusi 's earliest 'directly-cut' pieces. 9. 'The Child in the World, Mobile Group.' 1917 (print from the original
negative). B1: Inv. I negative ph. 630, 8 prints. Bibi. The Little Review,
3. Tbrme11t, 1907 (print from the original negative). B1: Inv. l nega- 1921, repr. pl. 21; Geist, 1975, repr. p. 182; pl. 113; New York, 1969,
tive, ph. 186, 8 prints (3 details). Bibi. Lewis 1957, repr. pl. 3; Zervos, repr. p. 92.
1957, repr. pl. 22; Giedion-Welcker 1958, repr. p. 70, pl. 20; Brezianu A print of this photograph was sent to John Quinn in December,
1964-2, repr. p. 392; Brezianu , 1974, repr. p. 93. This original plaster 1917, with the inscription "l'enfant au mond, groupe mobil." Three
was exhibited in April, 1907, at the Salon de la Societe Nationale des separate wood sculptures are grouped temporarily for the photo-
Beaux-Arts de Paris ( #1818) , now in a private collection, Bucharest. graph: The Little French Girl, Cup II ( 1918) , and a Column (later
Two bronzes were cast f~om the plaster. divided to form bases).

4. View of the Studio. c. 1907 (print from the original negative). 81: IO. View olthe Studio. 8 lmp,asse Ronsin, 1917, (print from the origi-
lrrn 1 negative ph. 185, 1 print (detail). nal negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 8.
In the foreground, according to B. Brezianu, is the owner of the Like the preceding photograph, this is one of the earliest views of
Rumanian restaurant where Brancusi worked as ad ishwasher on his Brancusi's new studio at 8 Impasse Ronsin. A Sleeping Muse in
arrival in Paris. In the background, from left to right, is a series of alabaster, completed in 1918, can be recognized (private coll. USA,
bronzes from 1907: Torment, Head of'a Young Boy. Portrait ofNicolae ex-coll. Quinn). In the center is the group from the preceding photo-
Darascu (Muzeul de Arta, Bucharest). On the right wall, a Mask ofa graph (pl. 9) next to Portrait of Mme. L. R., in wood, also unfin-
Ma11 in plaster, 1907. ished.

5. View of the Studio With Model. late 1907, (print from the original 11. View olthe Studio with Maiastra, c. 1917 (print from the original

117
negative). Br. Inv. 1 negative ph. 3, 1 print. tance and height with the neighboring Column (1918). This column
The white marble version of Maiastra ( 1915-18) dominates this is the first version of the Endless Column. The construction seen in
photograph, in an un-reworked stage. Among other things, the pho- the photograph was later to be dispersed, to become the Portrait
tograph shows the importance which Brancusi gave to wooden bases (coll. Harold Diamond, New York, ex-coll. Leger). On the right is a
at this time. Maiastra stands on an assemblage of composite forms, Yellow Bird (marble, 1919, Yale University Art Gallery).
still bearing traces of chalk lines. Far from being definitive, this
assemblage was to 'explode' into several elements. Two would be 17. View of the Studio, Eve and the Sorceress, 1920 (original print).
re-used in the Architectural Project ( 1918, Brancusi Studio, Br. Inv. 1 print ph. 648. Bibi. Geist, 1975, repr. p. 181, pl. 106-7.
MNAM). This exceptional document shows us two famous works at an
earlier state. On the left, Eve, (oak, 1916-20) is still autonomous, due
12. Brancusi in His Studio, c. 1923 (print from the original negative). to a vertical shaft in the form of a foot, which would later be elimi-
Br. Inv. 1 negative, ph. 710. nated to integrate the joined pair of Adam and Eve ( 1916-21 ). On the
The artist is seated in an Armchair sculpted around 1922, shown right 1he Sorceress (1916-24 ) , very rough-hewn, bears many sketch-
amol\g other works at Brummer Gallery, New York, 1933 ( #22) and marks in chalk. Brancusi used these chalk marks in place of drawn
kept in the studio. The sculptor's feet rest on a footstool which could studies.
also serve as a base (for example, cf. pl. 10 & 11).
18. View of Studio, Eve, c. 1920 (print from the original negative). Br.
13. View of_the Studio, Mlle Pog@y_ II, 1920 (print from the original Inv. I negative ph. 650.
negative) . .Br. Inv. 1 negative ph. 10, 1 print. Bibi. The Little Review, Eve, now devoid of her shaft (cf. pl. 17), stands on a massive
1921,pl. 6. plaster pedestal. Th e Newborn (marble, probably the 2nd version,
The second marble version of Mlle Pogany ( 1919, private coll., c. 1920) rests against her base (or, put another way, against her lap).
USA) rises from a melange of plaster and wood bases. Its double, in On the left, in dusky light, one can distinguish the first state of Adam
polished bronze (1920), is seen in profile opposing it quietly from in chestnut wood. The upper portion, still rough-hewn , was to be
the recesses of the studio. In the right foreground, a similar play of separated from the rest of the work in 1921, and later replaced by
forms is established between the ovals of the Beginning of the World Eve. On the wall at the right, one can decipher the inscription , "La
(marble, 1920) and Head of a Child (wood, 1913-15, Brancusi Studio, dedicace/est de/l'autre cote/Blaise Cendrars /t.s.v.p." (Dedication/is
MNAM). To the left is Plato (wood, 1919-20), which would be disas- of/ the other side").
sembled after 1923.
19. View of the Studio, Adam and Cup, Eve, c. 1921-22 (print from the
14. View of the Studio, Mlle Pog@y_ II. 1920 (print from the original original negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 17.
negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 296. Bibi. The Little Review, 1921, Adam is now in its definitive state, with the upper portion deleted,
repr. pl. 9. and a rectangular base added. It serves here as the base for Cup 111, in
Both the bronze and the marble Mlle Pogany II heads ( 1919 and wood, 1923 (Brancusi Studio, MNAM). On the_left, Eve sits on a
1920) are set apart in this photograph. The polished bronze in the round plaster table. The Armchair (pl. 12) occupies the foreground.
foreground is juxtaposed with The Kiss (plaster, 1916-18, lost), On the right is Brancusi's empty violin case; in the background,
interacting with the architecture of the studio. a white marble block. The block is a sketched form of Seal (?) ,
finished in 1936, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New
15. View of the Studio, Mlle Pog@y II. The Golden Bird, 1920 (print York. Behind, on a Caryatid project, are the chalked outline
from the original negative). Br. Inv. 1 negative ph. 13, 1 print. and the inscription: "Pr.II have a violin/you eva nice . .. " (inscription
The bronze cast of Mlle Pogany II is surrounded on the right by the in English).
soaring silhouette of The Golden Bird (polished bronze, 1919, Arts
Club of Chicago), and on the left by the figure of Plato in wood . The 20. View of the Studio, The French Cock, early 1922 (original print)
zigzag motif on the base of the Bird is notable, and is repeated in Br. Inv. I negative ph.18, I print.Bib/. Geist 1975,repr. p.185,pl.144-148.
chalk on the lower wooden base, as on the second cruciform base of This photograph demonstrates the alignment, and alternation of
Mlle Pogany. form and material (stone-wood-marble) used in several of Bran-
cusi's sculpture/base structures. We see a Study for Bird in Space
16. View of the Studio, Portrait of Mme. LR .. 1920 (print from the (plaster? and marble, 1922); French Cock (wood, 1922, lost); Torso of
original negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 12, 3 prints (two of them a Young Girl (onyx, 1922, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge).
details). Bibi. The Little Review, 1921, repr. pl. 7; Cahiers d'Art, 1929, The print was annotated, possibly in connection with the 1926
repr. p. 397; Paleolog, 1947, repr. p. 31 and cover. exhibition. On the verso and in the artist's hand, one can read the
A similar view, kept in the studio, bears an inscription in Bran- following inscription, "#9 l'oiseau bois (le coque/gauloi/hoteure
cusi's hand: "Mme. L.R. /bois, 1914-17."The semi-abstract portrait of 0,98 cm/la base marbre 0,23 crn/N°i0 (Torse de jeune fille)/onicx/
Mme. L.R. rests on a series of wooden bases which ally it in impor- Hoteur 0,5 cm la base comprise."

118
 21. View of the Studio, Adam and Eve, early 1922 (original print) Br. Mrs. Schoenborn, New York) , is the only completed element in this
Inv. I negative ph. 657, I print. photograph. It is almost translucent and seems to surge up out of a
In the foreground, dominating the photograph , stands a base com- heap of rough studies and materials. Against the drawn curtain, Bird
posed of three wooden elements. The top portion is the first version seems to irradiate the room by deliberate lighting.
of Adam (cf. pl. 18). To the left, Adam and Eve are finally united in
their definitive version (chestnut wood/oak, 1916-21, The Solomon R. 29. View of_the Studio, Bird in S{!_ace. c. 1923 (print from the original
Guggenheim Museum, New York). At the back, one can see Socrates negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 33. Bibi. New York, 1926, detail
(wood, 1922, The Museum of Modern Art, New York). The print has repr. pl. 26.
notations in another hand, perhaps for the exhibition of 1926 in New At night, artificial light modifies and refines this view of Bird in
York and Chicago. Space. Its white and brilliant silhouette is repeated somewhat asym-
metrically in the two shadows against the wall.
22. View of_the Studio. Three Bases, early 1922 (print from the origi-
nal negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 680, 3 prints (details). 30. View oithe S1udio, Bird in S!!_ace, 1923 (print from ·the original
This shot, very closely connected to that of plate 20, shows negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 34.
Brancusi's Interest in bases, .presented here for themselves, without This document bears witness to Brancusi's manner of working;
sculptures. the exact shapes of future birds are traced in chalk (like a working
drawing) on two marble studies. One stands in the center, the other
23. View oi the Srudio, Bases, c. 1921-22? (print from the original lies on the table. The subject in the center is probably Bird, grey-blue
negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 684, I print annotated on the recto marble, 1923-52, coll. A. de Gunzburg, Paris; the one on the right is
and the verso, in' the artist's hand "deux socles bois dl\frique, jaune" Maiaslra, blue-grey marble, c. 1923-40, Brancusi Studio, MNAM,
(2 bases in African wood, yellow). cf. Geist, 1975, p. 192, pl. 220 and 221.
There are two identical bases, isolated in the studio.
31. General View of_ the S1udio. 1923 (print from the original nega-
24. View of_the Studio, c. 1922 (print from the original negative). 81: tive). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 35., 3 prints.
Inv. I negative, ph. 21 bis. Bases, studies and finished sculptures complement each other in
Here is a stage-set of different carved bases and raw materials apparent di so rder. Several pieces are recognizable; Bird in Space,
without any finished sculpture arranged on both sides of a transver- The Sorceress (unfinished), Socrales, Princess X (polished bronze,
sal beam, and cleverly lighted . 1916, Brancusi Studio, MNAM) and in the foreground, The White
Negress on its cruciform base (veined marble, 1923, Philadelphia•
25. Fernand Leger in the Studio, c. 1922 (print from the original Museum of Art).
negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 711.
Leger-who became friendly with Brancusi from 1920 onwards- 32. General View of the S1udio. 1923 (print from the original nega-
stands in the chaotic environment of the studio. In the disorder, the tive). Bl: Inv. I negative ph. 36, I print. Bibi. This Quarler, 1925, detail
elements of the preceding photograph (beams, stone blocks and repr.; Transi1ion 1929, repr. p. 298.
plaster tables) are visible. Only a few displaced works, changes adjusted by Brancusi, dis-
tinguish this photograph from the preceding one. This difference
26. View of_ the Studio, Eve and Plato, early 1922 (original print). Br. allows the viewer to zero in on the studio. The Sorceress has been
Inv. I negative ph. 642, 10 prints. Bibi. This Quarter 1925, repr. moved, only to be replaced by Bird in Space (yellow marble, 1923-
The lighting transforms our usual impression of these two works, 24, Philadelphia Museum of Art), and Princess X has been rotated
and underlines the relationship of the forms, here placed parallel to slightly to the right.
each other.
33. Vie11• of the S111dio. Mlle Pogill]_vjj, c. 1923 (print from the original
27. Brancusi at work in the S1udio, early 1922? (original print). Br. negative). 81: Inv. I negative ph. 40, I print (detail). Bibi. This
Inv. I negative ph. 712, 7 prints. Bibi. Der Querschnitt 1923, repr. Quar1e1; 1925, detail repr.
p. 118; Vogue 1933, repr.; Brezianu 1969, repr. p. 24.
Brancusi moves a marble study (no doubt The Seal, cf. pl. 19) with 34. View of the S1udio. Mlle Poganyj_I, c. 1923 (print from the original
a crowbar. Next to him is the unfinished French Cock, on a stone base negative). B1: Inv. I negative ph. 42. Bibi. Th e Aris, 1926, repr. p. 144;
of cruciform zigzags. This was to be the spiny base of the ExoTic Brezianu 1969, repr. p. 27.
Plan! (wood, 1920, Brancusi Studio, MNAM). Here we see the studio in a different, and very composed, state.
There are three precious 'objects': the onyx of Torso of Young Girl (c.
28. Vil'lt ' oflhe S1udio, Bird in Sp_ace. c. 1923 (print from the original 1923, Philadelphia Museum of Art), the polished bronze of the New-
negative). B1: Inv. I negative ph. 31 , I print (detail). born ( 1920), and the small bouquet of flowers occupy the smooth
Bird, in white marble, sold to John Quinn in December 1923 (coll. surface of a table in the foreground. In the background, the polished

119
bronze of Mlle Pogany II (cf. pl. 33) stands against a wooden beam. original negative). Br. Inv. 1 negative ph. 69. Bibi. Cahiers d'.4rt,
1929, repr. p. 401; Paleolog, 1947, repr. p. 29; Jianou 1963, repr. pl. 4.
35. Vie11: of_the Studio, c. 1923 (print from the original negative). Br. In a wood-filled environment, a composition of three figures
Inv. I negative ph. 43. emerges: The Kiss (brown stone, 1925, Brancusi Studo, MNAM),
A visual play is established between the ovals of two heads, Plato The Chief, The Sorceress.
and Newborn I, the rounded profiles of the female portraits (Study
for a Fresco, 1923, Brancusi Studio, MNAM; Profile of a Woman, oil , 42. General View of_ the Studio, c. 1925 (print from the original
c. 1923, whereabouts unknown) and the profile of Torso of Young negative). Br. Inv. 1 negative ph. 65, 1 print.
Girl (onyx, c. 1923). This last piece, by its form and prone position, This general view (almost a snapshot) gives a fairly complete idea
loses its identity as a torso. of the studio's daily appearance, without any particular composition.
Among the numerous works already noted, one can see a collection
36. View of_ the Studio, Li11le Bird I, c. 1925 (print from the original of bases and objects, and, on the table in the foreground, tools,
negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 57 bis. Bibi. Der Querschnill, flowers, and a drawing (a studio view) framed by Brancusi.
1929,_repr.
From left to right: The Chief (wood and iron, 1924-25, private 43. View of the Studio, Endless Columns, early 1925 (print from the
coll., Chicago), Socrates, Small Bird I (colored marble, 1925, Marl- original negative) . B1: Inv. 1 negative ph. 58.
borough Gallery, New York) , The White Negress I, the white marble
study for The Seal, and, on the extreme right, The Muse (marble, 1912, 44. View of_ the Studio, Endless Columns, early 1925 (print from the
coll. Mrs. Ileana Lindt, New York). original negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 60. Bibi. This Quarter,
1925, repr.
37. View of_ the Studio, The White Negress I. 1923 (print from the
original negative). Br. Inv. ph. 328. 45. View of_ the Studio. Endless Columns, early 1925 (print from the
original negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 61, I print.
38. View of_ the Studio. the Sorceress, c. 1924-25 (print from the
original negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 51. These three photographs show much of the studio's space, measured
The very detailed view of this photograph creates an enclosed off by the Column of the Kis~; ·and two Endless Columns (I, 1920,
space, as if raised to a vertical plane where sculptures and bases are Brancusi Studio, MNAM, ex-coll. Steichen; II, before 1925, Brancusi
tightly stacked. The Fish (polished bronze, 1924, private coll., USA), Studio, MNAM). Several strong points emerge from an apparently
a marble Sleeping Muse, Timidity (stone, c. 1916-17, Brancusi Studio, disorderly arrangement of many works, studies and bases: the
MNAM) and the Sorceress, front view, rise from a mass of pedestals polished bronze version of Mlle Pogany If and a Bird on its stand in
in the center. the background, in its normal spot. At first glance, the three photos
are similar. On closer inspection, certain differences appear, indicat-
39. Brancusi in his Studio. c. 1924-25 (print from the original nega- ing a veritable stage-set. Objects appear and disappear, and the light
tive). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 713. changes theatrically.
In the foreground, Brancusi stands next to his grindstone. Further I) (43) It is daytime. The Bird (white marble, 1925, National Gallery,
back, on the top part of a pilaster, are Study for the Kiss (plaster, c. Washington , D.C.) seems to evaporate in the natural light streaming
1919-33, Brancusi Studio, MNAM), and "The Crocodile" -a piece of through the window. Mlle Pogany is seen in three-quarter profile.
driftwood which Brancusi found on the beach at Saint-Raphael in 2) (44) Night has fallen. Artificial light projects the shadows of the
1924 and thereafter kept in his studio. white Bird on the wall. As an echo of Mlle Pogany (profile view), a
polished bronze Newborn ( 1920).
40. View of_the Studio, c. 1924-25 (print from the original negative) . 3) (45) The marble Bird has been replaced by a bronze Bird ( 1924,
Br. Inv. I negative ph. 53. Bibi. The central portion of the print is Philadelphia Museum of Art).
reproduced in This Quarter, 1925; Geist, 1974, repr. p. 201, fig . 11.
Here we see the closed world of the studio in its totality. Elements 46. View of_ the Studio, The Newborn, c. 1929-30 (original print). Br.
foreign to Brancusi's work blend into the scene: a Malemute dog, Inv. I print ph. 84.
tools on the table, a grindstone, pottery on a caryatid study, the A close-up of the Newborn I (marble, 1915, Philadelphia Museum of
ladder's shadow against the window. In the center of this environ- Art), to which the black wood of the Child's Head responds. The
ment-very similar to that of the two previous views (pf. 38, 39)-one head was detached in 1915 from the standing figure, The First Step,
sees, from left to right, the Cat-Caryatid (wood, c. 1916-24, Brancusi and is posed on the Armchair against Portrait of James Joyce in
Studio. MNAM), a Caryatid project, and the Exotic Plant on its crayon (c. 1929, Brancusi Studio, MNAM).
base.
47. View of the Studio. Bases. 11 Impasse Ron sin, c. 1929-30 (origi -
41. View of_the Studio. The Sorceress. The Chief, 1925 (print from the nal print). Br. Inv. I print ph. 85.

120
 Once again, the point of view underlines the importance of the the four Columns (the fourth, in plaster, from about 1930, is also in
bases. Variations fo form modify our vision of the sculpture in its the Brancusi Studio, MNAM). On the mantel stands the Cock, (wal-
entirety (bases and sculpture). nut, 1924, Museum of Modern Art, New York), and in front of the
hearth is Leda (polished bronze, 1926, Brancusi Studio, MNAM).
48. Man Ray in the Studio, c. 1930 (print from the original negative). Leda stands on its polished steel disc, executed at about this time for
Br. In v. I negative ph. 714. the 1933-34 show at Brummer Gallery, New York.
Man Ray, who met Brancusi in 1921, would aid Bn1ncusi to perfect
his photographic techniques with some advice. Most of the photo- 55. Views o[rhe Studio. the Cocks. c. 1941-44 (print from the original
graphs date from 1920-30 (cf. Man Ray, Auroporrrait, Paris, Robert negative) . Br. Inv. I negative ph. 133.
Laffont, 1964, p. 189) . The photograph sets off the group of four more or less finished
plaster versions of the Large Cock, which Brancusi had been work-
49. Brancusi and Lizica Codreanu. c. 1930 (print from the original ing on since 1923. In contrast, the sharp si lhouette of the poli shed
negative.) . Bt: In v. I negative ph. 715, 2 prints. bronze Cock ( 1935, MNAM ) stands out.

50. View of' the Studio. The Fi.1:h. and Three Endless Columns. after 56. View of the Studio, the Cocks, the King2f_King~. c. 1945-46 (print
1930 (print from the original negative). Br. In v. I negative ph. 108, I from the original negative). Inv. Br. I negative, ph. 140.
print (detail). Bibi. D'A ci i d'Alla. 1934, repr. Lighting effects on the King of Kings (wood, c. 1930, The S.R.
In thi s photograph, the studio at 11 Impasse Ronsin appears much Guggenheim Museum, New York) placed be neath the window,
as it would co n.tinue to look (w ith' so me small changes) until Bran- against the light.
cusi's death. On a double-drum table The Fish (veined marble, 1930,
MOMA, New York) stands in the foreground. Further back, and to 57. Corner of the Studio, 11 Impasse Ron sin (print from the original
the right, is the group of Three Endless Colwnns in wood (all three negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 718, I print (detail) and numerous
are still in the Brancusi Studio, MNAM). In the bac kground is a related negatives and prints.
polished bron ze Bird p927?). The three columns and the Fish were Thi s corner of the studio houses the workbench and the forge. One
to be the subject of an important group of more or less close- up can see the trunk with live bra nches which Brancusi brought into the
photographs, all revolving around the Fi sh. studio. He added a large iron ring and superimposed it onto hi s
self-portrait (cf. pl. 53 and 53a).
51. View of_ the Studio, Th e Fish and Three Endless Columns. post-
1930 (print from the original negative). B1: In v. I negative ph. 11 8, I 58. Narc issus' Foun tain, c. 1909. photograph taken c. 1922-23 (print
print. from the orig inal negative). Bt: In v. I negative ph. 321, 7 prints. Bibi.
Close-up view of the right corner of the stu dio (cf. pl. 50). The This Quarter 1925 (dated 1909); z.ervos 1957, repr. p. 38; Giedion-
Fish , normally seen in a three-quarter view or from its widest side, is Welcker 1958, repr. p. 49, pl. 5.
almost unrecogni zable here. Reduced to a razor-thi n profile, it seems Thi s is probably the original plaster for the top part of Narcissus'
to shoot out of it s base to pierce the space of the studio. Fountain, a funerary monument project which was never realized.
Only the Head remains from thi s plaster (Brancusi Studio, MNAM).
52. Vie11· of_rh e Studio. the Bouquet. post- 1930 (print from the origi- In the fo reground , there are two studies. At least one-in the middle
nal negative). B1: In v. I negative ph. 716. -i s re lated to the theme of Narcissus. At the right is a Head sketched
The Brancusi studio contains a series of photographs of pla nts, in pl aster, which is related to the Head of a Child which was
flowers and bouquets. detached from First Step in 1915.

53. Brancusi in his Studio, Self Portrait, c. 1933-34 (print from the 59. The Newborn II. c. 1920 and Head of_ Sleq-!ing Child. 1906,
original negative). Br. In v. I negative ph. 717, many c losely related photographed c. 1923 (orig inal print). Br. In v. I negative ph. 252,
negatives and prints. · 20 prints (two are reversed). Bibi. Giedion-Welcker 1958, repr.
Here Brancusi poses in the studio in front of his own camera. He p. 63, pl. 15.
has just tri ggered the shutter with a cable release, which can be see n The Newborn II (marble, c. 1920, Moderna Museet, Stockholm) is
in his hand. This self-portrait was superimposed with a photograph deliberately juxtaposed, on the same base, with the small Head of a
of a tree trunk and its sprouts (see pl. 53a and pl. 57.) Sleepin g Child (colored plaster, 1906, Atelier Brancusi , MNAM),
the original conception of the later piece.
54. View of_rhe Studio, c. 1933-34 (print from the original negative).
Br. Inv. I negative ph. 124, I print. 60. The Newborn If. c. 1920. photographed c. 1922-23? (print from
This photograph is similar to the preceding one (cf. pl. 53). the original negative) . Bt: In v. I negative ph. 25 1, 3 prints. Bihl. The
Behind the stool recently occupied by Brancusi, we discover the Arts 1923, repr. p. 26; New York, 1926, repr pl. 16.
table and tools, the Fish in veined marble, and the definitive group of The Newborn II is placed on an elaborate base of superimposed

121
semi-circles. The base was part of the 1926 New York exhibition this time of five views of Mlle Pogany Ill.
( # 16) and was titled "Base, Old Oak, · 1920''.
71. The Beginning_(}! the World, c. 1920 (original print). Br. Inv.
61. Narcissus. c. 1910 (print from the original negative.) Br. Inv. negative ph. 326, 3 prints. Bihl. New York 1926, frontispiece repro-
negative ph. 318 Bihl. Zervos 1957, repr. p. 40; Giedion-Welcker duction, and pl. 32; De Stijl 1927, repr. p. 82 (under the title: 'Plas-
1958, repr. p. 72, pl. 21. tique pour aveugles', 1926); Giedion-Welcker 1937, repr. p. 99;
Narcissus, alabaster, c. 19!0, whereabouts unknown. Paleolog, 1947, repr. p. 41, Giedion Welcker 1958, repr. p. 67, pl. 17;
Duisbourg 1976, repr. p. 31.
62. Mlle Poganv_l, Fru11t Vie1v. 1912 (original print). Br. Inv. I nega- This marble is in the collection of the Norton Simon Museum in
tive ph. 288, 8 prints. Bihl. Zervos 1957, repr. p. 43, Giedion-Welcker California, ex-coll. Roche.
1958, repr. p. 76, pl. 24.
First version of Mlle Pogany (marble, 1912, Philadelphia Museum 72. Leda, 1920 (original print from a copy print) Br. Inv. I negative
of Art). ph. 385, 5 prints. Bihl. The Little Review, 1921, repr. pl. 14; The Arts,
1923, repr. p. 14; New York 1926, repr. p. 68; Cahier.1· de l'Etoile,
63. Mlle Poganyj, Profile VieH: 1912. (original print). Br. Inv. 6 prints. 1929, repr. ; Giedion-Welcker 1958, repr. p. 112, pl. 50.
Bihl. Zervos 1957, repr. p. 42. This is the only marble version of Leda (The Art Institute,
Chicago).
64. Mlle Poganv_jj Profile Vie11: 1919. photographed in 1920 (print
from the original negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 295, 14 prints. 73. Leda, 1926 (print from the original negative). Br. Inv. I negative
Bihl. The .Little Review 1921, repr. pl. 11; New York 1926, repr. #24; ph. 389, I print (detail). Bihl. Horiw n 1949, repr.; Zervos 1957, repr.
Paleolog 1947, repr. p. 19; Giedion-Welcker, 1958, repr. p. 81, pl. 29. p. 77 (detail); Giedion-Welcker 1958, repr. p. 110, pl. 48.
Second version of Mlle Pogany ( "Sipolin" marble, 1919, coll. Lee The unique polished bronze casting of the 1920 marble is in the
A. Ault, New York). Brancusi Studio, MNAM. At this time, it was still presented in the
center of a double-drum table which took the place of a base.
65. Mlle Poganv II, Profile Vieiv. 1920. photograph taken 1920-21
(print from the original ne gative). B1: Inv. I negative ph. 302, 3 74. Leda, Profile VieH{ 1926, photograph taken c. 1933-34 (original
prints. Bibi. The Little Review 1921, repr. pl. 4. print, from a reel of movie film). Br. In. 1 print ph. 399. Bibi. A
Polished bronze version of the 1919 marble (cf. pl. 64). closely related print repr. in Tra.nsition. 1936, p. 67 (under the
title: "Sculpture in polished brass, arranged for mobility") ; another
66. Mlle Pogany_JJ, Three-quarters Vie1v. 1920, photograph taken repr. in Giedion-Welcker 1937, p. 101; another repr. in Paleolog
1920-21, (print from the original negative). B1: Inv. I negative ph. 1947, p. 22.
298, 4 prints. Bihl. The Little Review 1921, repr. pl. 5.
75. Leda, Three-Quarters VieH{ 1926. photograph taken c. 1933-34
67. Mlle PoganyJ.j, Back Vie1v. 1920, photograph taken 1920-21 (print (original print from a reel of movie film). B1: Inv. I print ph. 405.
from the original negative) . 81: Inv. I negative ph. 303, 4 prints. Bibi.
The Little Review 1921, repr. pl. 3.
76. Leda, Rear Vie1v, 1926, photograph taken c. 1933-34 (original
These three photographs (pl. 65, 66, 67) are a part of a series of six,
print from a reel o f movie film). Br. Inv. I print ph. 403.
each of which exists in many prints. This series aUows us to view the
These three photographs, excerpted from a filmed sequence,
sculpture simultaneously from all its angles, without giving prefer-
depict Leda turning around itself on a stainless steel disc driven by a
ence to one particular view. The series suggests the viewer's move-
motor. Variations of lighting and reflections are added to thi s.
ment around the piece, or, even better, certain sculptures placed on
rolling ball -bearings. This presentation would later be documented
by Brancusi. 77. Woman Looking in A Mirro1; 1909 (original print from a copy
print). B1: Inv. I negative ph. 407, JO prints. Bibi. Der Querschnitt
68. Mlle Pog@)' Ill, Profile View 1931. (print from the original nega- 1923, re pr. p. 117; Cahier.1· d'Art 1927, re pr.; Paleolog 1938, repr. p. 15;
tive). B1: Im: I negative ph. 309. Paleolog 1944, repr. p. 18; The Art Bulletin 1964, repr.
Third version of Mlle Pogany (marble, 1931 , Philadelphia This marble, reworked, became Princess X ( 1916, University of
Museum of Art). Nebraska Art Gallery, ex-coll. Quinn).

69. Mlle Pogll_!]y Ill, Three-Quarter Vie11{ 1931, (print from the origi- 78. Princess X, 1916, photographed c. 1930 (original print.) 81: In v.
nal negative). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 311. I negative ph. 416, 4 prints, several closely rel ated images and
prints.
70. Mlle Pug(l]Jy Ill, Front Vie11{ 1931 (print from the original nega- One of the two bronze castings from the 1916 marble. This is
tive). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 312, I print. probably the one kept in the Brancusi Studio, MNAM, on the same
These three photographs, (pl. 68, 69, 70) are also part of a series, group of bases.

122
79. The Fish in the Studio, after 1926 (print from the original nega- marble (private coll., USA, ex-coll. Rum sey.) To the right, Brancusi
tive). Br. In v. I negative ph. 434. holds the bac kground curtai n.
Brancusi conceived the idea of a polished base, which would
reflect the work, for this polished bronze Fish ( 1924-26). The final 88. Bird in Space, 1930 (print from the original negative). Br. Inv.
polished steel disc ( 1926) had been preceded, at at earlier date, by a 1 negative ph. 487.
thicker disc of mirror glass.
89. Bird in Sf!_ace, 1930 (print from the original negative) , Br. In v.
80. The Fish in the Studio, after 1926 (print from the original nega- I negative ph. 489.
tive). Br. Inv. I negative ph. 435.
90. Bird in SR_ace, 1930 (print from the original negative). Br. Inv.
81. The White Negre.1.1; 1923, photograph taken in 1923 (original I negative ph. 490.
print). Br. In v. I negative ph. 329, 12 prints (details). Bibi. This
Quarter 1925, repr., Z.ervos 1957, repr. p. 75. 91. Bird i11 SR_ace, 1930 (print from the origi nal negative) . Br. In v.
The Whi!e Negress (veined marb le, 1923, Philadelphia Museum of I negative ph. 491, I print. Bihl. A print from this series is repro-
Art). duced in Fierens 1933 (under the title "Coiseau, 1930").
Four photographs, belongi ng to a series of six, show the progres-
82. The Blond Negress . 1926 (original print). Br. In v. I print- ph. sion of a ray of sunlight on a plaster Bird (related to the Bird of pl.
333. 87). In this way Brancusi registers variations throu gh time of a
One of three examples of the Blond Negress (polished bronze, combination of luminous fo rm s: pattern s of the skylight cast against
1926). This photograph was part of a series of four photographs, the vertical of the Bird. Brancusi often photographed the effects of
similar to the se ries disc ussoo earlier. The studio's reflection , natural light, caught by surprise in the studio, especially with his
enclosed in the smooth oval form of the scu lpture, suggests the Birds.
image of a closed world, a mi crocos m.
92. Brancusi Working on an Endless Column, c. 1924 (print from the
83. The Newborn II. 1925, and the S!eqzing Muse, c. 1920 (print from original negative). Br. In v. I negative ph. 719.
the original negative). Br. In v.. I negative ph. 261. Bibi. Minotaure With a saw, Brancusi marks the sections of the Endless Column
nos. 3-4, repr. p. 42; Z.ervo.s 1957, repr. p. 47. (wood, before 1925, Brancusi Studio, MNAM).
The Newborn , in polished bronze on a bronze disc and an elaborate
group of bases, is in the Brancusi Studio, MNAM.
93. Bmncusi l#Jrki11g 011 an Endless Column, c. 1924 (print from the
original negative). B1: In v. I negative ph. 720, 6 prints. Bibi. This
84. The Newham II, 1928 (pri nt from the original negative). B1: In v.
Quartet; 1925, repr; Brezianu 1969, repr. p. 26.
I negative ph. 266. Bibi. Giedion-Welcker 1958, repr. p. 65, pl. 16.
Usi ng the marks previ ously traced, Brancusi hews out each rhom-
This polished steel version of The Newborn stands on a disc of the
boid e leme nt of the Column with an axe.
same materi al (Brancusi Studio, MNAM).

85. Maiastra, 1915-18 (print from the original negative). B1: Inv. 94. Endless Column in Steiche11'.1· Garden <If Vo11 la11gi}." after 1920
I negative ph. 463, 4 prints. Bibi. Giedion-Welcker 1958, repr. p. 125, (print from the original negative) . B1: In v. I negative ph. 542, I
pl. 59; Spear 1969, repr. pl. 12 (detail) ; Geist 1975, repr. p. 181 , pl. 99. print.
Broken betwee n 1917 (cf. p l. 11) and 1919 at the crack shown here, Thi s Column was sculpted directly out of the trunk of an oak tree
this marble was reshaped and shortened to beco me another Maia- in the garde n of Steichen, the famous photographer. It stayed there
stra (o nly finished in 1929, Philadelphia Museum of Art). The until 1925, when Brancusi had it brought back to his studio.
dynamic form of the Golden Bird ( 1919, cf. Geist 1975, pl. 124) comes
out of Maia .1·tra. 95. Endless Column in S1eiche11's Garden at Vo11la11;;j_§, after 1920
(print from the original negative). B1: In v. I negative ph , 544. Bibi.
86. Bird in Space, 1931-33, photograph taken c. 1933 (print from the Axis 1935, repr. p. 2.
original negative). Br. In v. I negative ph. 506, 3 prints. The preceding photograph (pl. 94) was taken at Steichen\ house
The black marble Bird in Space, photographed in abo ut 1933, was in daylight, surrounded by fo liage which hid the base and the last
sold in 1936 to the Maharadjah of Indore. From thi s ex posure to the half-fo rm of the column. Here it is seen at ni ght, spot-lighted from a
next, the lighting and staging inverse the values of light and dark frontal view which leaves it visible to the top of the column.
(d iaphanou s white marble against a black curtain, and black marbl e
aga inst a light background). 96. The Endless Column. 1937 (original print) . B1: Inv. I negative ph.
578, 2 print s.
87. Bird in SR_ace, 1930 7 , photographed c. 1933 (print from the origi- The cast-iron Endless Column was erec ted in 1937 in the mon-
nal negative). B1: In v.. I negati ve ph. 483. umental settin g of Tirgu-Jiu , Rumania, which is also the ho me of
This photograph is probabl y of Bird i11 Space, 1930, in white The Gate of the Kiss and the Table of Silence.

123
BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Arts, 1923, M.M,, "Constantin Brancusi, a Summary of Many Lewis, 1957, David Lewis, Co11sta111i11 Bra11cusi, Londres, Alec
Conversations," The Arts, IV I 1, July, 1923. Tiranti Ltd., 1957 (republished in London , Academy Editions, and
New York. St. Martin's Press, 1974).
The Arts, 1926, William Zorach, "The Sculpture of Constantin Bran-
cusi," The Arts, IX/3, March, 1926. The Lillie RevieH\ 1921, number dedicated solely to Brancusi, with 24
reproductions and a text by Ezra Pound , autumn, 1921.
Axis, 1935, Anatole Jakovski, "Brancusi," Axis #3, July, 1935.
Minotaure, Minofl/ure. #3-4.
Brezianu, 1964-1, Barbu Brezianu, "Les debuts de Brancusi," Revue
roumaine d' histoire de /'art, I/ I, 1964, pp. 85-100. Musaion , 1929, "Soudobe Socharstvi ve Francii," Musaion. #7,
1929, Prague.
Brezianu, 1964-2, Barbu Brezianu , "Pages ii:iedites de la correspond-
ance de Brancusi," Revue roumaine d' histoire de /'art, l/2, 1964, pp. New York, 1926-1 , " Brancusi" exhibition catalogue. New York, The
385-400. Brummer Gallery. (Exhibition November 17-December 15, 1926.)

Brezianu, 1969, Barbu Brezianu, "Brancusi 11\rtisan," Revue rou- New York. 1926- 2, catalogue of "International Exhibition of Modern
maine d ' histoire de /'art, VI, 1969, pp. 19-30. Art arranged by the Societe Anonyme for the Brooklyn Muse um,"
New York, The Museum of Modern Art, November - December,
Brezianu, 1974, Barbu Brezianu, Opera lui Constantin Brancusi in 1926.
Romania,, Bucarest, Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste
Romania, 1974. New York. 1969, exhibition catalogue "Constantin Brancusi 1876-
1957, A Retrospective Exhibition," New York, The Solomon R. Gug-
Cahiers d'Art, 1929, Roger Vitrac, "Constantin Brancusi ," Cahiers gen hiem Museum, 1969.
d'Art, #8-9, 1929, pp. 382-396.
Paleolog, 1938, VG. Paleolog, C. Brancusi, Bucharest, 1938.
Cahiers de /'£/Oi/e, 1929, Benjamin Fondane, " Brancusi ," Cahiers de
/' Etoile # 11, September-October, 1929. Paleolog, 1944, VG. Paleolog, Cartea a doua despre C. Brw1cusi,
Craiova, 1944.
D 'Aci i d'Alla, 1934, special number on 20th century art, winter
1934. Paleolog, 1947, VG. Paleolog, Bmnrnsi, Bucharest, 1947.

Duisburg, 1976, exhibition catalogue "Contantin Brancusi," Duis- Der Querschnitt. 1923, Albert Dreyfus, "Constantin Brancusi ," Der
burg, Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum der Stadt, July I I -September Querschnitt, Ill, #3-4, 1923, pp. 11 7-12 1.
5, 1976.
Der Querschnill, 1929, Der Querschnill, # 12, December 1929.
Fierens, 1933, Paul Fierens. Sculpteurs d'aujourd' hui. Paris Editions
des Chroniques du lour, 1933. Spear. 1969. Athena T Spear, Brancusi's Birds, New York, New York
University Press, 1969.
Geist, 1974, Sidney Geist, ··srancusi, the Meyers and Portrait of Mrs.
Eugene Meyer, Jr.,'' Studies in the Historv of Art. 1974, National De Stijl, 1927, De Stijl. #79-84, 1927.
Gallery of Art, Washington.
Tacha, 1964. Athena C. Tacha, '/\ Review of Brancusi by I. Jianou,"
Geist, 1975, Sidney Geist, Brancusi, the Sculpture and Dra wings, The Art Bulletin, XLVl/2, June, 1964, pp. 260-266.
New York, Harry N. Abrams, 1975.
This Quarte1; 1925, This Quarter, l/ I, 1925.
Giedion-Welcker, 1937, Carola Giedion-Welcker, Modern Plastic
Art. Zurich, Verlag Dr. H. Girsberger, 1937. Transition. 1929, Transition, # 16-17. Spring-summer 1929, pp. 296-
297.
Giedion-Welcker. 1958, Carola Giedion-Welcker, Constalllin Bran-
cusi 1876-1957. Neuchatel, Editions du Griffon , 1958. Transition, 1936, Transition. #25, fa ll 1936.

Horizon. 1949, Carola Giedion-Welcker, "Constantin Brancusi ," Vogue, 1933, Vogue, December 15, 1933.
Horizon, XIX, #III, March, 1949, pp. 193-202.
Zervos, 1957, Christian Zervos, Constantin Brancusi, Paris, Ed itions
Jianou , 1963, Ione! Jianou, Brancusi, Paris, Arted, 1963. Cahiers d'Art, 1957.

124
Leda, 1920

"Don't search for obscure formulas or mystery.

I give you pure joy. Look at the sculptures until
you see them .. :'
BRANCUSI

ISBN 0-9601068-2-0 Printed in France $17.50