BRANCUSI : The Sculptor as Photographer

Brancusi: The Sculptor as Photographer

 

Grob Gallery is proud to present an exhibition of Vintage Photographs by Rumanian Sculptor Constantin Brancusi.

 

Brancusi used photography throughout his working life as a tool for cataloguing, selling, creating and refining his sculptures and also as standalone works of art.

The Artist had amongst his intimate circle many of the greatest photographers of the 2oth century including, Steichen, Stieglitz, Kertesz, Outerbridge and Man Ray.

It was with Man Ray’s help that Brancusi’s passion for photography made the leap from simply recording works to transforming them into important works of art in the own rights.

 

Man Ray moved to Paris in 1921 and met almost immediately with Brancusi. The two became firm friends and when Brancusi complained of the photographs of his works by Stieglitz and Steichen. “Very good photographs but they don’t show the soul of my work”, Man Ray took him out and purchased camera’s and dark room equipment and taught him to take, develop and print his own photographs. The result of this instruction is evident in the Little Review Magazine of Autumn 1921 which reproduce a series of Brancusi’s photographs that rank as amongst the most important photographs of the period.

 

From this time until his death in 1957 Brancusi only allowed his sculpture to be reproduced if his photographs were used.

His photographic archive was given to the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and his photographs are in many important museums in the world. There are less than 200 prints left in private hands.