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Arch No. 2
bronze, metal wire
c. 1960
Naum Gabo (1890-1977)
Russian-American

#art #modernart #constructivism #sculpture #modernsculpture #ArchNo2 #bronze #wire #NaumGabo #c1960 #CourtauldInstituteofArt #museum #collection
Naum Gabo became a leading exponent of Constructivism—which viewed space as a continuum rather than a monolithic volume—after returning to Russia following the Revolution of 1917. Born Naum Neemia Pevsner and younger brother of artist Antoine Pevsner, he had originally trained to be an engineer. While traveling in Europe, he studied building techniques and observed emerging modernist currents, both inspiring him to become a sculptor. In 1920, five years after he created and signed his first construction as “Gabo,” he and Pevsner published in Moscow the “Realisticheskii manifest” (“Realistic Manifesto”), which articulated their theories on Constructivism and solidified Gabo’s role as a pioneer of modern sculpture. Ultimately, utopian ideals underscore Gabo’s Constructivist works. Rejecting the past and freeing art from the imitation of nature, he believed that his sculptures helped build “more perfected social and spiritual life.” Strongly influenced by fellow artist Vasily Kandinsky, who promoted the spiritual nature of art making, Gabo aimed to produce objects that “appeal more to our minds and our feelings than to our crude physical senses.”
August 12, 2026 at 6:55 PM