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Artists in 60 Seconds: Alexander Archipenko

Ukrainian/American Sculptor

By Shelley Esaak, About.com

Movement, Style, School or Type of Art

Cubism > Constructivism

Date and Place of Birth

May 30, 1887, Kiev, Ukraine

Life

Archipenko had a hard time enduring formal art instruction. He was either asked to leave, or quit, schools in the Ukraine and Paris. (He settled on learning sculpture techniques via self-study in the Louvre.) He applied Cubist principles to sculpture, first working in bronze. Later forays led him to terra cotta, mother of pearl and plastic (lit mechanically from within), as well as into Constructivism. He is best remembered for introducing negative space (i.e.: "holes") into modern sculpture.

Important Works

Important Works

  • Walking Woman, 1912
  • Woman Combing Her Hair, 1915
  • Torso in Space, 1935
  • Female Torso, 1948

Date and Place of Death

February 25, 1964, New York City

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