Head of a Woman
Naum Gabo
American, born Russia. 1890–1977
c. 1917-20 (after a work of 1916)
A shallow, box-mounted sculpture in folded celluloid and metal that abstracts a woman’s head into intersecting geometric planes, aiming to translate the human face into engineered spatial structure.
You first notice a pale, helmetlike curve and a sharply faceted nose and chin pushing forward from the shallow frame, the slightly translucent sheets folded like giant paper origami so light and shadow make the form seem to float and shift.
An early Constructivist experiment, it helped move sculpture away from carved mass toward assembled planes and new industrial materials (notably celluloid), showing how light, space, and engineering could define form.
Medium
Celluloid and metal
Dimensions
24 1/2 x 19 1/4 x 14" (62.2 x 48.9 x 35.4 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
397.1938
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
