Constantin Brâncuşi, the ground-breaking artist of modern sculpture, described in awe as "half god, half shepherd", was born on 19 February 1876. On the very day of his birth, we revisit his legacy in the company of some of his most ardent British admirers. Guest speakers: Sanda Miller, Eric Shanes,Jonathan Vernon and Bruno Wollheim. Preceded by the screening of BBC2's "Tony Cragg on Constantin Brancusi" (1992, producer: Bruno Wollheim; director: Christopher Swayne).
Sanda Miller is currently Research Fellow at Southampton Solent University and, since 2011, Visiting Lecturer at Istituto Marangoni, as part of the Fashion Design and Fashion Styling courses. She started her writing career in the early 1980's with an article on Constantin Brâncuși's 'Târgu Jiu Complex' and has since continued to write both single-authored books as well as chapters in books, exhibition catalogue texts, articles, reviews of books and exhibitions, for the national press or for specialized magazines. Her book 'Constantin Brancusi: A Survey of His Work' (Clarendon Press, 1995) is probably the most comprehensive study of the life and work of the great Romanian sculptor, including a number of illustrations of Brâncuși's work that have never before been published.
Eric Shanes is a painter, art historian and renowned lecturer on art. His 1989 book on Constantin Brâncuși published in the 'Modern Masters' series has sold over 20,000 copies to date and has been called "a marvellous book, both intellectually and visually". Considered an authority on Britain's greatest painter, J.M.W. Turner, he is the author of eleven bestselling books and catalogues on the artist, the Vice-President of the Turner Society and formerly its Chairman for many years, and the Founding Editor of Turner Studies, a scholarly journal published by the Tate Gallery between 1980 and 1991. Eric has also written influential books and essays on many modern artists, including Dali, Warhol and the Impressionists in London.
Jonathan Vernon has been the Ridinghouse Contributing Editor at The Burlington Magazine since 2014 and reviewed numerous books and exhibitions of work by Brâncuși as well as Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Jacob Epstein, Francis Bacon and others. His writing has also been published by New Statesman, Tate, the Courtauld Gallery and Gagosian Quarterly. Recent editorial projects include the catalogue of 'Generation Painting c. 1955-1965', the upcoming exhibition of works from the collection of Sir Alan Bowness at the Heong Gallery, Downing College, Cambridge, and the Tate research project 'Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity'. Jonathan is currently conducting research on Constantin Brâncuși, examining the construction of the sculptor and his works through writing, cataloguing and exhibition-making after his death.
Bruno Wollheim, the son of renowned philosopher Richard Wollheim, is an independent documentary film-maker working mostly in the visual arts, and the director of Coluga Pictures. His productions include two award-winning films on David Hockney, 'A Bigger Picture' and 'Double Portrait'. 'Tony Cragg on Constantin Brancusi', a 40-minute documentary, formed part of a TV series Bruno created and developed called "Artists' Journeys", in which major contemporary artists explored the lives and works of an artist of the past they most admired.
When: 19 February 2016, 7pmWhere: Romanian Cultural Institute, London SW1X8PH
Free entry but please book your seat on Eventbrite.
Photo: Constantin Brâncuşi photographed by Man Ray, 1933
