Alexander Archipenko

Herbert Singer, New York (acquired from the artist on 9th March 1962)
Thence by descent

Carola Giedion-Welcker, Contemporary Sculpture, An Evolution in Volume and Space, New York, 1960, illustration of another cast p. 84
Alexander Archipenko et al., Archipenko: Fifty Creative Years, 1908-1958, New York, 1960, illustration of another cast pl. 182
Giovanni Sangiorgi, 'La Pittura Scultorea di Archipenko', in Civiltà delle Macchine, vol. XI, no. 5, September-October 1963, illustration of another cast p. 38
Maurizio Calvesi, 'Futurismo e Orfismo', in L'Arte Moderna, vol. V, no. 43, 1967, illustration of another cast p. 273
Donald H. Karshan (ed.), Archipenko: International Visionary, Washington, D. C., 1969, pl. 38, illustration of another cast p. 41
Andrei B. Nakov, Studio International, December 1973, vol. 186, mentioned
Donald H. Karshan, 'Les Révolutions d'Alexandre Archipenko', in Plaisir de France, no. 421, July 1974, pl. 17, illustration of another cast p. 16
Albert E. Elsen, Origins of Modern Sculpture: Pioneers and Premises, New York, 1974, pl. 70, illustration of another cast p. 52
Donald H. Karshan, Archipenko. The Sculpture and Graphic Art, Tübingen, 1974, illustration of another cast p. 19
Donald H. Karshan, Archipenko. Sculpture, Drawings and Prints, 1908-1963, Indiana, 1985, no. 18, illustrations of another cast pp. 59-61
Anette Barth, Alexander Archipenkos plastisches Oeuvre, Frankfurt, 1997, no. 330, illustrations of another cast pp. 561 & 563

Head: Construction with Crossing Planes was first conceived as a wooden sculpture executed in 1913, after which a bronze edition was cast during the artist's lifetime. Using the technique of constructing a sculpture out of geometric planes, this seminal work can be perceived as a predecessor to similar sculptures by other avant-garde artists including Picasso, González and Gabo. 'This work is the earliest known construction in modern sculpture comprised of open intersecting planes. Each plane is an abstracted template that establishes the parameters of spatial or dematerialized volumes that serve as ''negative mass'' ' (D. H. Karshan, op. cit., 1985, p. 44).

 

Dating from the most productive and innovative period of Archipenko's career, when he was living in France, the present work combines the influences of Cubist and Constructivist art. It was during 1913 and 1914 that Archipenko produced his most daring and experimental work, developing two of his signature styles: polychrome sculptures or 'sculpto-paintings' and constructions. According to Guy Habasque, the constructions 'represent one of the most original contributions of Archipenko to the history of sculpture' (G. Habasque, reprinted in D. H. Karshan (ed.), op. cit., 1969, pp. 17-18). Executed as a study for the monumental construction Femme à la toilette (fig. 1), the present work is one of the most ground-breaking works not only in Archipenko's own art, but also in the history of early twentieth century sculpture.