From the artist's life
When Bird in Space reached the US, customs refused to call it art and taxed it as raw metal; Brâncuși won a landmark court case defining modern art.
Source: Wikipedia / WikimediaSculpture and Form
Constantin Brâncuși
Constantin Brâncuși (1876–1957) was a pioneer of modern sculpture, who stripped form down to pure, polished essence. Works like Bird in Space distilled a living creature into a single soaring line.
Brâncuși's radical simplicity made him a founder of abstract sculpture and an inspiration to minimalism.
- Reduced living forms to pure, gleaming, abstract shapes.
- Bird in Space distilled flight into a single soaring line.
- Won a 1928 US court case that legally defined what counts as modern art.
Key works
Where to start
Complete list of key works
Works with a dedicated ArtAtlas page are highlighted in gold.
- Bird in SpaceOn ArtAtlas
- The KissOn ArtAtlas
- Sculptural Ensemble of Constantin Brâncuși at Târgu JiuListed for reference
- The Endless ColumnListed for reference
- Table of SilenceListed for reference
- Princess XListed for reference
- Mademoiselle PoganyListed for reference
- Sleeping MuseListed for reference
- Torso of a Young ManListed for reference
1923
Bird in Space
Bird in Space is a series of sculptures by Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși. The original work was created in 1923 and made of marble. This sculpture is also known for containing seven marble figures and nine bronze casts.
1909