Brancusi: The Photographs, The Margulies Collection, Miami

Brancusi: The Photographs, The Margulies Collection, Miami

Brancusi: The Photographs features 29 rare vintage gelatin silver prints from the early 20th century, produced by Brancusi, “one of the greatest artists of the Modern era” according to collector Martin Margulies. This is the first time that Brancusi has been exhibited in Florida, his prints shown alongside the historical sculptures of Miró and Noguchi – who worked as an apprentice in Brancusi’s studio from 1927-29 and was influenced by the master’s abstract forms.

The works included in Brancusi: The Photographs were printed by the artist, and were produced from both photographic negatives as well as 16 mm film stills; they include images of his individual sculptures, larger studio views of his “groupe mobiles” as well as numerous self-portraits, arresting still-lifes and abstract compositions.

Although not known for his photographs, these images are integral to understanding Brancusi as an artist: his ability to transform the three-dimensional artform into a two-dimensional piece and his strong understanding of photography’s power to guide, control, and enhance the viewer’s experience of sculpture. Brancusi’s “group mobile” or groupings of sculptures in particular are complex arrangements within his studio whose radical lighting provide a key to interpreting his sculptural works. His photographs express a unique pictorial vision that moves decisively beyond mere documentation and establishes Brancusi as one of the most innovative image-makers in the history of photography.

Presented as a collaboration between The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse and the Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York, this exhibition furthers the critical dialogue surrounding this seminal body of photographic work which has become a growing topic of interest for galleries all over the world, ranging in recent years from the MoMA, New York, the Centre Pompidou, Paris, Foundation Beyeler, Switzerland and Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam

Brancusi: The Photographs, until 1 January 2015, The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, Miami, USA.

Credits
1. View of the Studio, c. 1933, Gelatin silver print, printed c. 1933. 15 11/16 x 11 11/16 inches.