The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2023

Detachable Figure (Dancer)

1915

Jacques Lipchitz

(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

Fun Fact

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.

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.

Jacques Lipchitz

French sculptor, 1891-1973, active in the United States
Provenance
-1972
Mrs. Aye Simon [1902-1992], New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1972-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
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
Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).

Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

The Planar Dimension: Europe 1912 - 1931. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (March 9-May 6, 1979).

Images of the Mind. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 7-August 30, 1987).

Creativity in Art and Science, 1860-1960. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 16-November 8, 1987).

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).

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