Jacob Epstein 188 - 1959
Epstein was born in 1880, the son of Polish Jewish refugees in New York’s Lower East Side. He moved to Paris aged 22 where he studied at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts before settling in England and becoming a British citizen in 1911.
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In London, Epstein was involved with a bohemian and artistic crowd reflected in his work. His sculpture is distinguished by its unflinching realism – a style which attracted a great deal of controversy for its departure from conventions of classical sculpture. Epstein is said to have worked to his dying day on 21 August 1959. His work is displayed all over the world and helped forge the path for younger generations of sculptors, in particular Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
Bronze sculpture, 1932
Signed
Dimensions: 51 ×43 × 20.5cm
£24,500
Referenced and illustrated in Silber, Ref. 223 - In the portrait busts Epstein could freely explore the feminine mystique without ignoring either the individual personality or the unconventional beauty of his models. - Silber, pg.42.
Referenced in Black, pg.239 no.180.
Referenced with a full page illustration in Buckle, No. 299, pg.197 - The 'First Portrait of Louise', a bust, is most remarkable for the way the sculptor has caught her expression of melancholy brooding, as she chews over the cud of some problem in her mind.