Young Bird
Constantin Brâncuși
Romanian and French, born Romania. 1876–1957
Paris 1928
A small, highly polished bronze sculpture—titled Young Bird—set on a limestone and oak pedestal, in which Brâncuși sought to distill a bird to its purest, almost elemental form.
You'd first notice the smooth, reflective teardrop gleaming like a captured ray of light, seeming to float above the geometric, tactile pedestal that grounds the work.
The work exemplifies Brâncuși’s radical reduction toward abstraction, showing how pared-down, mirror-like forms and simplified volumes could carry emotional and symbolic weight and reshape modern sculpture.
Medium
Bronze 16 x 8 1/4 x 12" (40.5 x 21 x 30.4 cm), on a two-part pedestal of limestone 9 1/4" (23.5 cm) high, and oak 23 3/4" (60.3 cm) high (carved by the artist)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden
Accession
498.1964
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
