- 185
Alexander Archipenko
Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 USD
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Description
- Alexander Archipenko
- Walking
- Inscribed Archipenko, numbered 6/8, dated Paris 1912 and incribed Après moi viendront des jours quand cette oeuvre qui sera les artistes sculpteront l'espace et le temps
- Bronze
- Height: 52 1/4 in.
- 132.7 cm
Provenance
Acquired circa 1975
Literature
Alexander Archipenko, Archipenko, Fifty Creative Years, 1908-
1958, New York, 1960, illustration of another cast pl. 174
Alexander Archipenko Erbe Werke von 1908 bis 1963 aus dem testamentarischen Vermächtis (exhibition catalogue), Moderne Galerie des Saarland-Museums, Saarbrücken, 1982, no. 9, illustration of another cast p. 29
Annette Barth, Alexander Archipenkos Plastisches Oeuvre, vol. II, Frankfurt, 1997, no. 40, illustration of another cast p. 89
1958, New York, 1960, illustration of another cast pl. 174
Alexander Archipenko Erbe Werke von 1908 bis 1963 aus dem testamentarischen Vermächtis (exhibition catalogue), Moderne Galerie des Saarland-Museums, Saarbrücken, 1982, no. 9, illustration of another cast p. 29
Annette Barth, Alexander Archipenkos Plastisches Oeuvre, vol. II, Frankfurt, 1997, no. 40, illustration of another cast p. 89
Condition
The bronze is sound and features a textured green and brown patina. The surface features a number of varied textures with some pindot pits and thin grooves original to the cast and with some dirt visible on the deeper crevices. Otherwise fine and in very 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.
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.
Catalogue Note
In the introduction to Archipenko's first one-man exhibition in 1912, Guillaume Apollinaire comments that "Archipenko builds realities. His art approaches absolute sculpture more and more closely" (Guillaume Apollinaire, Introduction to Archipenko's first one-man exhibition, Folkwang Museum, Hagen, 1912). In the present work, we see Archipenko distilling the human figure into weighty geometric forms that resonate with Cubist ideals, the artistic style that can most loosely be associated with the artist's work.
Archipenko was at his most productive when living in France from 1908-20, the period from which this work dates, and Walking is a quintessential sculpture from this hugely innovative time in the artist's life. The forms in the present work are simpler, more generalized and monumental in concept. Archipenko conceived the present composition at the height of the Cubist frenzy in Paris, and it is clear that many of the Cubist ideals of the main protagonists greatly influenced this particular work. As Katherine Jámszky Michaelsen comments, "in their search for alternatives to impressionism, painters and sculptors alike employed these 'primitive' sources to arrive at the new vocabulary of clear massive forms that became the point of departure for Cubism" (Katherine Jánszky Michaelsen & Nehama Guralnik, eds., Alexander Archipenko, A Centennial Tribute, National Gallery of Washington, 1986, p. 20).
Archipenko was at his most productive when living in France from 1908-20, the period from which this work dates, and Walking is a quintessential sculpture from this hugely innovative time in the artist's life. The forms in the present work are simpler, more generalized and monumental in concept. Archipenko conceived the present composition at the height of the Cubist frenzy in Paris, and it is clear that many of the Cubist ideals of the main protagonists greatly influenced this particular work. As Katherine Jámszky Michaelsen comments, "in their search for alternatives to impressionism, painters and sculptors alike employed these 'primitive' sources to arrive at the new vocabulary of clear massive forms that became the point of departure for Cubism" (Katherine Jánszky Michaelsen & Nehama Guralnik, eds., Alexander Archipenko, A Centennial Tribute, National Gallery of Washington, 1986, p. 20).