Constantin Brancusi

Mr. and Mrs. Lester Francis Avnet, New York
Hanover Gallery, London
World House Gallery, New York
Weintraub Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

The present work is one of at least six portraits that Brancusi completed around 1918 of an unidentified model with a dark, curly coiffure.  A related pencil version is in the collection at the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, and another version in tempera on board was formerly in the collection of Jane and Lester Avnet, who also owned the present work.   

Although known primarily as a sculptor, Brancusi completed a limited number of works on paper, many of which he made for his friends or patrons when they visited him at his studio.   In contrast to the process of sculpting in marble or wood, drawing allowed for an immediacy of expression, a freer exploration of the nuances of line and form.  The creative freedom that Brancusi found in his drawing and painting is evidenced by the present work. 

Much like his sculptures, this  work demonstrates Brancusi’s ability to reveal the beauty inherent in pure form. According to Rowell, "at first glance, these drawings betray nothing of the sculptor's hand, yet it is there nonetheless.  In order to create the effect of a volume heightened by light, Brancusi reversed the common draftsman's process.  Instead of shading certain areas to make them recede, thereby giving an illusion of modeling or depth, he used white gouache to highlight the areas where the face might be thought of as catching the light.  These whitened areas do not disrupt the form; on the contrary, they are analogous to the light playing on the polished surface of a sculpture" (ibid., p. 287).