Gourcuff Gradenigo Editions presents previously unseen work on the Franco-Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957). The author Doïna Lemny, specialist of Brancusi, paints a meticulous and illustrated portrait of this recognized sculptor, differentiating herself from the monographs produced on the latter by offering a new enlightened vision of his work.
Punctuated with numerous archival illustrations, the book is above all a formidable source of black and white photographs of Brancusi’s works, captured by the artist as further testimony to his talent and his visionary art. Sometimes he is embedded in the transparent planes at the back, sometimes deliberately blurring the image or, conversely, using particularly rewarding lighting, Brancusi uses photography as a medium to accompany his artistic process. In this, the book reveals itself to be both biographical but also intimate, and makes each page new and unique.
A major figure in modern sculpture, Constantin Brancusi is the author of sculptures between figuration and abstraction. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century, Brancusi pushed sculptural abstraction throughout his artistic work to a stage never before reached in the modernist tradition. He also paved the way for surrealist sculpture, as well as the minimalist movement of the 1960s. Brancusi is concerned with reducing forms to their simplest expression, favoring the oval and using raw, unpolished materials. The Kiss, Bird in Space, Mademoiselle Pogany, The Sleeping Muse… so many of the sculptor’s works that remain emblematic to this day revealed by Doïna Lemny.
A specialist in the work of Brancusi, Doïna Lemny has often written about the Romanian sculptor. Curator in charge of the Brancusi collections at the National Museum of Modern Art (Centre Pompidou), Doïna Lemny is also an art historian, specialist in 20th century sculpture, who is accustomed to comparing the artists of this period.
Revealing in detail her entire chronological journey, Doïna Lemny invites us to rediscover the work of Brancusi, mixed with unique photographs of the artist, of a rare subtlety and particularly highlighted in this book.
Constantin Brancusi: The Real Thing
Doina Lemny
Editions Gourcuff Gradenigo
Format: French
Size: 22 x 28cm
Bound book, printed on 170g matte paper
Number of pages: 240 pages
Sale price: 59 euros
www.gourcuff-gradenigo.com
