Ivan Mestrovic

Gifted by the artist to his niece, Nada Kestercanek;
bequeathed to her husband Dr. Stanko Vujica in 1971;
Thence by descent

Overall the condition of the plaster is very good. There is dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age, including a few minor chips at the edges of the base. The index figure of the proper right hand is cracked and is slightly unstable and may be have been reattached. The plaster tablet has been refeshed with paint and is restored with glue at the bottom left corner.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1949 Ivan Mestrovic was invited to design the sculpture for a proposed monument, The American Memorial to Six Million Jews of Europe, to be located on Riverside Drive in New York City. The artist had most probably been suggested by the architect Eric Mendelsohn, who sat on the committee for the monument and was in charge of its architectural elements. The committee gave a very open brief to Mestrovic and he worked over three years to produce a model which would fit their increasingly conflicting instructions. In the end, due to bureaucratic complexity and lack of consensus, the project was abandoned. The present plaster is one of the varied studies which Mestrovic created in the course of the commission.

Moses was a very significant subject in Mestrovic's oeuvre and one which he revisited throughout his career. It was only natural therefore, that in a letter to a member of the committee in 1950, he wrote: "The only thing which I do suggest to the committee is that there should be a full figure of Moses and in a proportion overpowering all others, since I do feel that Moses is the most important figure in Jewish history."

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Flanagan, Ivan Mestrovic: Moses and the Jewish Memorial, Notre Dame, 1992