Alexander Archipenko

Estate of the artist
Perls Galleries, New York
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1969 and sold: Christie's, New York, November 2, 2005, lot 446)
Acquired at the above sale

The Sketch, London, October 1913, illustration of the plaster on the cover
De Stijl, Amsterdam, January 1917, illustration of another cast p. 34
Hans Hildebrandt, Alexander Archipenko, Berlin, 1923, no. 12
Roland Schacht, Archipenko, Berlin, 1923, mentioned p. 16
Alexander Archipenko, Fifty Creative Years: 1908-1958, New York, 1960, illustration of another cast pl. 172
Giovanni Sangiorgi, "La Pittura scultorea di Archipenko," Civilta delle Macchine, Rome, September-October 1963, illustration of another cast p. 39
Donald Karshan, "Alexander Archipenko in Retrospect," Journal of the Archives of American Art, Washington, D.C., April 1967, illustration of another cast p. 5
Frederick S. Wight, "Retrospective for Archipenko,"Art in America, New York, May-June 1967, illustration of another cast p. 66
Donald Karshan, "Archipenko," Arts Magazine, New York, April 1968, illustration of another cast p. 37
Donald Karshan, Archipenko, International Visionary, Washington, D.C., 1969, no. 34, illustration of another cast pl. 22
Katherine Janszky Michaelsen, Archipenko: A Study of the Early Works, 1908-1920, New York and London, 1977, no. S40, p. 170
Georg-W. Kolzsch, Alexander Archipenko (exhibition catalogue), Moderne Galerie des Saarland-Museums, Saarbrucken, 1986, no. 13, illustration of another cast p. 35
Katherine Janszky Michaelsen &Nehama Gurlnik, Alexander Archipenko: A Centennial Tribute (exhibition catalogue), National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Tel Aviv Museum, 1986, illustration of the plaster fig. 11
Anette Barth, Alexander Archipenkos Plastisches Oeuvre, vol. 2, Frankfurt am Main, 1997, no. 44, illustration of another cast p. 99

Blueish green patina. Minor patina rubbing at tip of left figure's left arm and right figure's head. A few scattered surface nicks around base, otherwise fine. Work is in excellent condition.
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.

Archipenko's Dancers (Version 3), conceived in 1912, boldly explores the relationship between form and space. For this work, the artist has rendered two figures framing a large, central void. This work bears a striking similarity in subject and form to Matisse's celebrated La Danse (see fig. 1), painted in 1909-10, which Archipenko no doubt saw while living in Paris at this time. Executed with a more pronounced angularity than Matisse's early painting and incorporating the contemporary, Futurist notion of dynamism, the present work celebrates the body in motion and gives equal value to the space enclosed by the figures and the figures themselves.

In her dissertation on Archipenko's work of this period, Katherine Janszky Michaelson has written at length on the present work and its innovative mode of representation: "As a sculptural conception, The Dance is entirely opposed to the tradition of the monolith, which less than two years before had still dominated Archipenko's art. To conceive of sculpture in this way -- as a framing element for space -- with space not only taking on an active role, but becoming the very reason for the sculpture, was unprecedented at the time" (Katherine Janszky Michaelsen, Archipenko: A Study of the Early Works, 1908-1920, New York and London, 1977, p. 106).

In 1913, Archipenko exhibited the plaster version of Dancers at Der Sturm, Herwath Walden's gallery in Berlin. An early plaster, tinted reddish-brown, is now in the Saarland Museum, Saarbrucken. Archipenko executed this work in two different dimensions, one version 24 1/2 inches in height and the other, modified about 1917, 29 1/2 inches in height. In the 1950s, Archipenko began to issue editions of the sculpture in both dimensions, inscribing the smaller and earlier version V.3. It has been suggested that the inscription might have been added to distinguish it from the larger and later versions in plaster and bronze which are inscribed Archipenko Paris. The present work, inscribed V.3 and 8/8F, was cast in an edition of eight, plus one artist's proof. As indicated by the addition of the letter F to the cast, the present bronze was cast posthumously and maintains a brilliantly hued patina.

Fig. 1: Henri Matisse, La Danse, 1909-10, Oil on canvas, The Museum of Modern Art, New York