Joseph Csaky

Galerie de l'Effort Moderne, Paris (Léonce Rosenberg), (acquired directly from the artist on 19th April 1920) 
André Bloc, Paris
Private Collection, Paris (sale: Sotheby's, London, 30th November 1988, lot 198)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Donald Karshan, Csaky, Paris, 1973, no. 7, illustrated p. 34 (as dating from 1919)
Christa Lichyenstern, 'Joseph Csaky, un sculpteur à redécouvrir', Artis Das aktuelle Kunstmagazin, April 1989, no. 3, illustrated p. 37
Edith Balas, Joseph Csaky. A Pioneer of Modern Sculpture, Philadelphia, 1998, no. 15, illustrated p. 35
Félix Marcilhac, Joseph Csaky: du cubisme historique à la figuration réaliste. Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Paris, 2007, no. 1920-FM.25/a, p. 319

The structure of the work is stable. There is some overall surface dirt. There are two repaired cracks with associated infill, which run horizontally towards the centre of the work and a further small crack to the edge of a section of the object. There are some minor scattered chips and scratches. This work is in overall fairly 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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Donald Karshan described the present work and a similar carving of the same year as 'two masterpieces of Csaky's œuvre'. He went on to discuss how, 'this type of self-extrapolating structure is not unrelated to Brancusi's Endless Tower, the first version of which was carved from wood in 1918 [...] no other sculptural work of note prior to or during 1919 resembles Csaky's conception; not the painted wood constructions of Laurens of 1915-16, nor the highly geometricized interlocking shapes of the bronzes of Lipchitz, which are far too static to generate the dynamic tumbling effect of Csaky's obelisks. We must turn to the paintings of Léger of the same year to find a corollary and direct influence' (D. Karshan, op. cit., p. 35). Léger's works from this period (see fig. 1) show a remarkable similarity to Csaky's geometric sculptures. 'The power with which they combined flat colour plane with volume, and the emphasis with which they introduced a dynamic mechanical quality was unique' (ibid., p. 38): their almost tactile qualities are indeed manifested in Csaky's powerful rendering of form.

A lost or destroyed plaster was made from the present original stone sculpture in 1920 and later cast in bronze in a numbered edition of 8, plus 2 artist's proofs and 2 hors commerce proofs.