Alexander Archipenko

A.A. Juvilier, New York (acquired direclty from the artist and sold by the estate: Sotheby's, New York, May 16, 1984, lot 406)
Acquired at the above sale

Alexander Archipenko, Archipenko, Fifty Creative Years 1908-1958, New York, 1960, illustrated pl. 108 (with incorrect dimensions)

Exceptional surface with rare gold leaf application. The variation and texture of the surface appears to be inherent, although there are a few pindot nicks.The work is mounted to a base. No cracks or restorations are apparent. This 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.

The present work is a wonderful example of Alexander Archipenko’s celebrated curvilinear female form. Seated Figure, conceived in 1936, was executed the same year the artist participated in the Museum of Modern Art’s groundbreaking exhibition Cubism and Abstract Art, curated by Alfred Barr. Conceived when the artist was living in California, Seated Figure is a prime example of the artist's manipulation of motifs and themes significant to his earlier works. The present work offers an organic fluidity as the viewer engages with an elongated twisting torso, the woman’s thighs intertwined and head bowed. While curved lines inform the individual body parts of Archipenko’s sculpture, the entire work too is defined by the concave line, as the curvilinear trajectory follows from the bowed head and bending torso down to the figure’s rounded thighs. As such, Seated Figure fundamentally exhibits Archipenko’s notion of the "new concave," through which, as the artist explains, concave outlines “become an integral part, symbolically as important as the pattern of the elevations… I obtained an entirely new and original type of sculpture with new esthetic, optical and spiritual expressions” (Alexander Archipenko, op. cit., p. 52). Characteristic of Archipenko’s oeuvre, the appendages of his female figure are notably missing, while the present body parts illuminate a reduction of form and omission of anatomical detail. Recalling the abstract, simplified visual language of Cubism, Seated Figure illuminates the key influence of avant-garde artists such as Léger, Picasso and Lipchitz, alongside whom Archipenko worked during his earlier career while living in Paris and Berlin. The present piece is a testament to the modernist vision outlined by Archipenko and his contemporaries, and marks a compelling contribution to the repertoire of this artist’s formative years.