Brancusi Sculptures Make Up The Google Doodle
Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi was the subject of the Google Doodle on Feb, 19, the 135th anniversary of his birth. We saw an exhibition of his work at the Tate Modern in London, England in 2004, and saw some of these images.
His sculptures that make up the Doodle are:
G: This is made up of two sculptures. The white marble “Prometheus” is combined with “Leda” in polished bronze. “Prometheus” was carved in 1911, and named after the mythical Greek figure who stole fire from the gods for mankind. Leda, the mother of Helen of Troy, was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan. However, in Brancusi’s version it is Leda who is the swan.
O: “The Newborn” in bronze is housed in New York’s MoMA. He carved a marble version in 1915, but Google has used a bronze version.
O: There are a number of versions of Brancusi’s “Sleeping Muse”, in both marble and bronze. Baroness Renée Irana Franchon modelled for the original marble in 1907.
G: A bronze version from 1913 of “Portrait of Mme. Pogany” is on display in the MoMA in New York.
L: “Bird In Space”, is probably Brancusi’s most famous sculpture. One bronze edition fetched $27.5million at auction in 2005 – a record for a sculpture at the time. The first of the series was created in 1923, and there are versions in both marble and bronze.
E: “The Kiss” was carved from a single block of limestone, and is another sculpture which Brancusi repeated.