Alexander Archipenko

Frances Archipenko
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1964)

Alexander Archipenko, Archipenko, Fifty Creative Years, 1908-
1958, New York, 1960, illustration of another cast pl. 174
Alexander Archipenko Erbe Werke von 1908 bis 1963 aus dem testamentarischen Vermächtis (exhibition catalogue), Moderne Galerie des Saarland-Museums, Saarbrücken, 1982, no. 9, illustration of another cast p. 29
Anette Barth, Alexander Archipenkos plastisches Oeuvre, vol. 2, Frankfurt, 1997, no. 40, illustration of another cast p. 89

Very good condition. Some minor nicks and scratches to the surface. Minor surface dirt in the crevices. Three scratches about 1-inch long are visible in lower part of negative space at center of work. There is a small depression just above left chest, which may be small loss to patina or inherent to the original cast. Several other depressions on right side of head that seem likely to be from the original cast. Patina varies from green to brown and is darker along outer portions of the work. A few other areas seems to be slightly rubbed. Small black mark on the reverse of work by figure's left chest. Chip of loss in rear of the base of the opening. Work is bolted to a lucite base which is not original to the work. Otherwise, fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In the introduction to Archipenko's first one-man exhibition in 1912, Guillaume Apollinaire comments that 'Archipenko builds realities. His art approaches absolute sculpture more and more closely'(G. Apollinaire, Introduction to Archipenko's first one-man exhibition, Folkwang Museum, Hagen, Germany, 1912). 

In the present work, we see Archipenko distilling the human figure into weighty geometric forms that resonate with cubist ideals, the artistic style that can most loosely be associated with the artist's work (in the first cubist exhibition of 1910, Archipenko was included as a 'cubist' sculptor). 

Archipenko was at his most productive when living in France from 1908-20, the period from which this work dates, and Walking is a quintessential sculpture from this hugely innovative period in the artist's life. The forms in the present work are simpler, more generalized and monumental in concept. Archipenko conceived the present composition at the height of the cubist frenzy in Paris, and it is clear that many of the cubist ideals of the main protagonists greatly influenced this particular work.  As Michaelsen comments, 'in their search for alternatives to impressionism, painters and sculptors alike employed these 'primitive' sources to arrive at the new vocabulary of clear massive forms that became the point of departure for cubism' (K. Janszkyn Michaelsen & Nehama Guralnik (eds.) Alexander Archipenko, A Centennial Tribute, National Gallery of Washington, 1986, p. 20).

Fig 1. Alexander Archipenko at the Saarland Museum in 1960 with Walking