"Glorification of Beauty (Standing Concave), 1925

Miami Beach 2019
"Glorification of Beauty (Standing Concave)
"Glorification of Beauty (Standing Concave)

Galerie Thomas

Sculpture
bronze, originally silver-plated
49.4 x 13.3 x 13.8 (厘米)
19.4 x 5.2 x 5.4 (吋)
Archipenko used concave and convex shapes for their symbolic and visual impact, and employed the use of negative space in his attempt to dematerialize the figure. Herwarth Walden, who was Archipenko's most ardent advocate in Germany and organized solo exhibitions for him in many German cities, declared in 1917: "The name of the most important sculptor of our time is Alexander Archipenko. He is the first and so far only artist, who instead of imitating shapes of bodies, has achieved the artistic creation of physical shapes." After emigrating to the USA in 1923, he continued his quest for artistic renewal and innovation. Throughout his practice he followed his strong belief in spirituality as a basis for creativity. The present work demonstrates Archipenko’s continuous exploration of the female figure as a metaphor for form and its relation to space. Until his death in 1964, he contributed significantly as a sculptor, painter, draftsman, print-maker, inventor, writer, and teacher to the language of modern art and to our understanding of creativity. The work is registered in the archives of the Archipenko Foundation as no. 2519.