The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 22, 2024

Detachable Figure (Dancer)

Detachable Figure (Dancer)

1915
(French, born in Lithuania, 1891–1973)
France, 20th century
ebony and oak
Overall: 98.1 cm (38 5/8 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Aye Simon 1972.367
Location: 223 20th Century Avant-Garde

Did You Know?

Inspired by artists Picasso and Braque, Lipchitz adapted their innovations in painting to sculpture. His series of Detachable Figures were made with solid blocks of material to simulate the geometric shapes of his friends' paintings. Born in Lithuania, then part of Russia, Lipchitz belonged to a circle of prominent Jewish artists active in the School of Paris that included Amedeo Modigliani and Chaïm Soutine.

Description

Lipchitz began making Cubist sculptures in 1915, the year he produced this rare assemblage of oak and ebony blocks. The interlocking blocks suggest abstract patterns of light and shadow, while multiple views of a single figure appear at the top. One face is delicately carved into a block near the raised arm, while two ebony blocks on the adjacent side suggest an abstract face with the elongated features of an African mask.
  • -1972
    Mrs. Aye Simon [1902-1992], New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1972-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 243 archive.org
    Henning, Edward B. Creativity in Art and Science, 1860-1960. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Published by the Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1987. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 115, no. 23
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 296
  • Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008).
    Creativity in Art and Science, 1860-1960. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 16-November 8, 1987).
    Images of the Mind. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 7-August 30, 1987).
    The Planar Dimension: Europe 1912 - 1931. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (March 9-May 6, 1979).
    Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
    Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).
  • {{cite web|title=Detachable Figure (Dancer)|url=false|author=Jacques Lipchitz|year=1915|access-date=22 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.367