Special Sub-Topic: Constantin Brancusi Click Here To Play: Constantin Brancusi

What country was Brancusi from?

Romania. Brancusi was born in the small village of Hobita, Romania, on February 19, 1876. His father, Nicolae, was a relatively prosperous peasant, and his mother, Maria, was a weaver.

Brancusi was noted for his skill in wood carving. When he was a teenager, what did he make out of a wooden crate that impressed his boss enough to sponsor him through university?

violin. Brancusi ran away from home at the age of twelve because he was forced to be a shepherd by his father. Constantin was employed in the grocery store of Ion Zamfirescu, who noticed the boy's skill at carving wood. Zamfirescu and one of the store's customers paid for Brancusi to attend the Craiova School of Arts and Crafts after they saw Brancusi making a violin out of a wooden crate.

What school did Brancusi NOT attend at one time?

Bucharest School of Sculpture and Design. At the Craiova School of Arts and Crafts, Brancusi became so skilled that he was asked to make a plaster cast of the school's founder. The Bucharest School of Fine Arts was the top school for sculpture in Romania, and Brancusi did very well here, too. His most notable work from this time period is an Echorche, or an anatomical study with the skin of the figure removed. The Romanian Ministry of Education paid for much of his tuition at the Ecole National des Beaux-Arts.

What was the first of Brancusi's 27 bird sculptures (there are two possible answers)?

Maiastra & Magic Bird. One is the Romanian name, the other is English. Maiastra is a magical bird from Romanian mythology that led Prince Charming to his true love.

Who did Brancusi NOT befriend in Paris?

Edvard Munch. Leger, Modigliani, and Rousseau were all important members of the Paris art scene.

What famous sculptor did Brancusi work under for two months in Paris?

Auguste Rodin & Rodin & August Rodin. He left after two months, saying that 'nothing can grow under big trees.' He wanted to find his own artistic direction.

Here Brancusi gained a very supportive group of American art collectors. It was the first major exhibition of Modern Art in the United States. What exhibition, held in 1913, was this?

The Armory Show. Brancusi had five works in this exhibition. Although the critics frowned on his abstract and symbolic work, a very enthusiastic group of American art collectors supported him.

The U.S. Customs Office said that this was not a work of art, it was 'an object of manufacture'. They claimed Brancusi was importing an industrial part and calling it art to avoid the 40 percent tax. What was this piece?

Bird in Space. He paid, but his 1928 court case got the tax refunded.

Choose the best answer: Which was NOT one of Brancusi's MAIN influences early in his career?

African art. Brancusi read copies of Plato's works so often that several of the books were worn down by the end of his life. Plato said that there is a world of Forms, of higher realities, from which the world we see derives. Brancusi wanted to create art that embodied these forms. There is a mistaken viewpoint that African art was Brancusi's main influence, but the truth is that African art did not interest him until years after he struck in new directions with 'The Prayer.'

Which photographer gave Brancusi tips on photographing his own sculptures?

Man Ray & Man-Ray & manray. The infamous Man Ray. Eventually Man Ray helped Brancusi install a dark room adjacent to his studio.

In what city did Brancusi make a war memorial?

Tirgu-Jiu. It was a sort of 'walkway of heroes'. Onesti and Deva have nothing to do with Brancusi, I just picked them because they have to do with gymnastics (obsessive me).

What was NOT a work of Brancusi's?

Madame X. Madame X was Sargent, Princess X was Brancusi. When Princess X was on display in 1920, either Matisse or Picasso made a reference to its resemblance to a male part of the anatomy, and Brancusi had to take the work off display, even though he claimed that the sculpture had no such connotations.

Brancusi became a naturalized citizen of what country in 1952?

France.

How many birds are in the Golden Bird series?

4.

The geometric wooden pedestals that the Golden Bird(s) rested on later evolved into a larger sculpture. It was called what?

Endless Column & The Endless Column. In 1956, he was approached with a plan to create a 1,312-foot 'Endless Column' in Chicago, but this was never realized.