Bird in Space

Date1926

Maker Constantin Brancusi French, (born in Romania), 1876-1957

Object number2000.221

ProvenancePurchased by Edward Steichen from the artist in France, 1926; gift from Steichen (d. 1973) to Joanna (Taub) Steichen, 1960s; sold by Joanna Steichen to Harold (d. 1982) and Hester Diamond, New York, NY, 1980; sold by Hester Diamond via [Vivian Horan, New York] to Jon and Mary Shirley, Seattle, Washington; partial and promised gift from Jon and Mary Shirley to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2000

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

Exhibition HistoryNew York, New York, Brummer Gallery, Brancusi, Nov. 17 - Dec.15, 1926 (Chicago, Illinois, The Arts Club of Chicago, Jan. 4 - 22, 1927). Cat. no. 33. New York, New York, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Brancusi: A Retrospective Exhibition, Oct. 25, 1955 - Jan. 8, 1956 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Jan. 27 - Feb. 26, 1956). Exhibition catalogue by James Johnson Sweeny. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, SAM at 75: Building a Collection for Seattle, May 5 - Sept. 9, 2007. Published References"Catalogue of Brancusi exhibition," New York: Brummer Gallery, 1926, cat. no. 33 Giedion-Welcker, Carola (translated by Maria Jolas and Anne Leroy), "Constantin Brancusi," New York: George Braziller, Inc., 1959, pp. 212-218 Seuphor, Michel, "Sculpture of this Century", New York, 1960, illus. pg. 10 Jianou, Ionel, "Brancusi", New York, 1963 Deac, Mircea, Constantin Brancusi, Bucharest, 1966 Geist, Sidney, "Brancusi: A Study of the Sculpture," New York: Hacker Art Books, 1968, pp. 98, #166 Spear, Athena, Brancusi's Birds, New York, 1969, illus. plate 20 Adams, Laurie, "Art on Trial: From Whistler to Rothko", New York, 1976, pp. 35-58, illus. p. 36 Kraus, Rosalind, "Passages in Modern Sculpture", Cambridge, MA 1977, illus. p. 84, #60 Geist, Sidney, "Brancusi: A Study of the Sculpture," New York: Hacker Art Books, 1983, cat. no. 166, pp. 98, 228 Varia, Radu, Brancusi, New York, 1986, illus. p. 239 Hulten, Pontus, "Brancusi", New York, 1987, illus. p. 304, pl. 159 Shawes, Eric, Constantin Brancusi, New York, 1989, pp. 37-38 Chave, Anna C., Constantin Brancusi: Shifting the Bases of Art, New Haven, 1993, pp. 198-203, illus. p. 200, #19 and #20, following p. 208 Andreotti, Margherita, "Brancusi's 'Golden Bird': A New Species of Modern Sculpture, in Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, Vol. 19, No. 2, 1993, pp 150-151, illus. Bach, Friedrich Teja, Margit Rowell and Ann Temkin, "Constantin Brancusi 1976-1957," Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1995, pp. 60-63, 381-383 Miller, Sandra, Constantin Brancusi: A Survey of his work" New York, 1995, p. 156 Rowell, Margit, "Brancusi Contre Etats-Unis, Un Procés Historique 1928", 1995, p. 7, illus on cover Hughes, Anthony and Erich Ranfft, "Sculpture and its Reproductions". London, 1997, illus. p. 145 Centre Georges Pompidiou, "L'Atelier Brancusi: La Collection", Paris, 1997, pp. 118, 155, 205-213, illus. pp. 36-37 Steichen, Joanna, "Steichen's Lecago: Photographs, 1895-1973," New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000, p 149 IFAR (International Foundation for Art Research), "Case Summary: Brancusi v. United States," www.ifar.org/case_summary.php?docid=1267043342, accessed 8/16/2010 Ishikawa, Chiyo et al., "A Community of Collectors: 75th Anniversary Gifts to the Seattle Art Museum," Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 2007, pp. 92-93, illus. Ishikawa, Chiyo et al. "Seattle Art Museum Downtown." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 2007, illus. p. 49 Delvaux, Celine and Vignes, Marie-Helene. "Les Proces de l'Art." Editions Palette, 2013, pp. 13-18, illus. pp. 8, 12

Credit LinePartial and promised gift of Jon and Mary Shirley, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

DimensionsHeight overall: 115 1/4 in. (292.7 cm)

MediumPolished bronze, on marble and wood base