Gaston Lachaise 1882 - 1935

Morris R. Werner, New York, 1929
Peridot Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, circa 1961

New York, Brummer Gallery, Lachaise, February 28-March 24, 1928, no. 3, 7, or 12
New York, Museum of Modern Art, Gaston Lachaise, Retrospective Exhibition, January-March 1935, no. 38, p. 26, illustrated

Gilbert Seldes, "Lachaise: Sculptor of Repose," New Republic, vol. 54, no. 696, April 4, 1928, p. 219
Douglas Haskell, "Notes of the Month," Creative Art, vol. 4, no. 5, May 1929, p. X, illustrated
Donald Bannard Goodall, Gaston Lachaise, Sculptor, (Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University), 1969, vol. 1, pp. 397, 494, 495-6, 553n. 122 (a); vol. 2, pp. 478, 241-242, plate CXI (as Woman, Acrobat)
Gerald Nordland, Gaston Lachaise, The Man and His Work, New York, 1974, pp. 135-137, illustrated

Good condition, small scratch on woman’s bent knee, a hairline crack above her right wrist, selectively applied nickel plate is oxidized and worn in areas, particularly on her stomach. Black stone base has a small chip in one corner.
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.

We are grateful to Virginia Budny for preparing the following catalogue entry for this work. 

Gaston Lachaise's profound love of the circus dates from 1889, when, as a young boy in Paris, he was taken to see Buffalo Bill's spectacular Wild West show, and it remained an abiding source of inspiration throughout his life. Acrobat, which reflects his fascination with the participants' skill and vigor, is one of three statuettes of female acrobats that appeared in his third solo exhibition, held at Joseph Brummer's prestigious New York gallery in 1928. It is partly visible in the background of one of Paul Strand's photographs of the installation. The critic Gilbert Seldes, while reviewing the exhibition, noted that this particular work  "has - as a piece of sculpture - an extraordinary quiet," even though it depicts "a woman caught in the dramatic moment of the cartwheel . . . when it is still uncertain whether the movement will be completed in the intended direction, or fall back." (Gilbert Seldes, "Lachaise, Sculptor of Repose," New Republic, vol. 54, no. 696, April 4, 1928, p. 219).

Lachaise's records indicate that the model for Acrobat dates from about 1924; the first bronze cast was in his New York City studio in June 1928; and a cast - evidently the same one - was sold directly to M. R. (Morrie) Werner, his friend and patron, in February 1929. Werner's cast, which is the only known example, must have been made in either January or February 1928. As part of the finishing process, nickel-plate, an industrial technique occasionally used by Lachaise since at least 1924, was selectively applied to its surface to describe a tight-fitting garment, leaving the exposed bronze to evoke the performer's skin. Some eight years later Lachaise used the model for Acrobat to create a new sculpture (Woman; Museum of Modern Art, Gaston Lachaise, Retrospective Exhibition, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1935, no. 57) - and not two variants, as Donald Goodall reported (Gaston Lachaise, Sculptor," Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University, 1969, vol. 1, pp. 494, 498, 553n. 122 (b)-(c)). Likely destroyed at that time, the model did not exist by 1938.