Female Head, Full Face

Female Head, Full Face

Elie NadelmanWW-1920-087848
1920·Drypoint on heavy cream wove paper·Plate: 17.7 × 15 cm (7 × 5 15/16 in.); Sheet: 24.4 × 21 cm (9 5/8 × 8 5/16 in.)

<p>Born in Warsaw, sculptor Elie Nadelman developed an early interest in classical statuary that remained evident in his work even as he moved toward Cubsim. He became an important figure of the Parisian avant-garde before emigrating to the United States at the outbreak of World War I and setting up his studio in the Bronx. In this delicate drypoint, approximately 40 curved lines, enhanced with directional shading, are all that Nadelman needed to create the sculptural head and face. The blank eyes are reminiscent of carved marble statuary, while the velvety lines particular to the drypoint medium give the image a satisfyingly tactile presence.</p>

Catalogue

Year
1920
Dimensions
Plate: 17.7 × 15 cm (7 × 5 15/16 in.); Sheet: 24.4 × 21 cm (9 5/8 × 8 5/16 in.)

Artist

Elie Nadelman
Elie Nadelman

Sculpture

Elie Nadelman was an American sculptor born in Warsaw who developed a distinctive modernist vocabulary rooted in classical reduction and geometric abstraction. Working primarily in bronze, stone, and wood between the 1910s and 1940s, he created figurative works of extraordinary formal economy, distilling the human form into elegant, streamlined volumes. His sculptures and drawings synthesized influences from archaic Greek art, folk traditions, and contemporary avant-garde practice. Nadelman's work bridged European modernism and American sculpture, establishing a visual language that prioritized purity of line and mass over narrative or ornament.

Riverdale, NY, USA

Full artist profile →

More

More by Elie Nadelman

View all →
Female Nude, Standing from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

Female Nude, Standing from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

1951 · One from a portfolio of twenty-two drypoints

WW-1951-M053936
Female Nude, Standing from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

Female Nude, Standing from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

1951 · One from a portfolio of twenty-two drypoints

WW-1951-M053937
Female Head, Draped from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

Female Head, Draped from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

1951 · One from a portfolio of twenty-two drypoints

WW-1951-M053928
The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

1951 · Portfolio of twenty-two drypoints

WW-1951-M053929
Female Head, Draped from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

Female Head, Draped from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

1951 · One from a portfolio of twenty-two drypoints

WW-1951-M053940
Female Nude, Standing from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

Female Nude, Standing from The Drypoints of Elie Nadelman

1951 · One from a portfolio of twenty-two drypoints

WW-1951-M053938

Record

Verified by WattsOS
Year
1920
Dimensions
Plate: 17.7 × 15 cm (7 × 5 15/16 in.); Sheet: 24.4 × 21 cm (9 5/8 × 8 5/16 in.)
Watts ID
WW-1920-087848

Source

Source
aic
Status
verified

Artist

Elie Nadelman

Elie Nadelman

Sculpture

View artist profile →