Saturday, February 19, 2011

Brancusi Kiss



Brancusi, Constantin’s 135th birthday à la Google Doodle style

Google has proven that they are not just a company that loves science and the technology because as of today, Google is celebrating the 135th birthday of Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi, or Brancusi in English. According to the artist’s Wikipedia entry, Brancusi was born in the small village of Hobiţa, in the small town of  Peştişani in Gorj County, Romania.

Brancusi as a child, has displayed an interest in carving wooden farm tools, because Hobiţa is an area known for its rich tradition of woodcarving. But Brancusi left the village at the age of nine to work in another town. When he was 18, he attended Craiova School of Arts and Crafts with the help of an industrialist, and then attended Bucharest School of Fine Arts. Brancusi’s 1st work was exhibited in Romanian Athenaeum in 1903.

Brancusi traveled to Munich, and then to Paris in 1903 where he spent 54 years of his life. His works was first exhibited in the U.S. via the modern art, the Armory Show, organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors in NY City in 1913. Brancusi died on March 16, 1957 at the age of 81 in France.

Apparently, Google is using Brancusi’s famous Sleeping Muse and The Kiss as some of the letters in their “Brancusi” Doodle. In 2002, a sculpture by Brâncuşi named “Danaide” was sold for $18,159,500, a world auction record for Brancusi as well as for any sculpture at Christie’s in New York City, according to Forbes.

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