Ossip Zadkine

Mr. & Mrs. Edward Halper, Brooklyn (acquired in 1966)
Sotheby's Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 5 April 1967, Lot 65A (consigned from the above)
Acquired from the above sale

Ionel Jianou, "Zadkine l'artiste et le poète" in Journal Artcurial, Paris, May 1979, no. 39 (illustration of the cement version, dated 1915)
Sylvain Lecombre, Ed., Musée Zadkine, Sculptures, Paris, 1989, no. 4a, p. 26, the bronze version illustrated
Sylvain Lecombre, Ossip Zadkine, L'Oeuvre sculpté, Paris, 1994, no. 44, p. 81, the wood and cement versions illustrated

Executed in cast stone. The surface is quite dirty and there are various scattered discolored repairs to the surface which may date back to the time of execution. There are some minor losses and pitting to the very bottom edge and to the bottom edge of the figure's hair, as well as some studio stains. The work is in good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Ossip Zadkine was born in Belarus, and like many Eastern European artists of Jewish descent of his generation, he later settled in Paris. Zadkine studied briefly under the celebrated French sculptor Jean-Antoine Injalbert in 1910 and quickly became an intellectual leader within the Parisian avant-garde. Zadkine’s early sculptures heavily identified with the emerging Cubist aesthetic of Braque, Picasso, and Leger, artists with whom he had frequent contact. Yet Zadine’s output always reflected a greater sense of romanticism through his free use curvilinear lines, much like the work of his friends Constantin Brancusi and Amadeo Modigliani, with whom he shared a studio after World War I.

An early expression of Zadkine's interest in primitive and African sculpture, Buste de femme was first carved in wood in 1914-15 and was later cast in stone during the artist’s lifetime. In 1972, it was cast in bronze in an edition of 8, plus 4 artist's proofs, by the Susse foundry. A version in cement is housed at the Zadkine Museum in Paris.