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Posts by MaryKate Cleary
July 24, 2014  |  Artists, Collection & Exhibitions
“But Is It Art?” Constantin Brancusi vs. the United States

Posted by MaryKate Cleary, Collection Specialist, Department of Painting and Sculpture

Constantin Brancusi. Bird in Space. 1928. Bronze, 54 x 8 1/2 x 6 1/2" (137.2 x 21.6 x 16.5 cm). Given anonymously

Constantin Brancusi. Bird in Space. 1928. Bronze, 54 x 8 1/2 x 6 1/2″ (137.2 x 21.6 x 16.5 cm). Given anonymously

Have you ever puzzled over a work of art that bears little or no resemblance to its title? In 1926, the disparate relationship between an artwork and its textural description led to one of the most significant clashes of art and law in history: the case of Brancusi v. United States.

Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957) was born in Romania, but from 1904 he lived and worked as a sculptor in Paris.

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