Constructivist Russian Sculptor - Naum Gabo

By: Annette Labedzki

Russian artist, Naum Gabo was a renowned 'Constructivist' sculptor, writer and teacher. Born on August 5, 1890 in the Jewish family of six children, in Briansk, Russia, Naum Gabo was christened Naum Neemia Pevsner. His father owned metal works in Russia and his elder brother, Antoine Pevsner, was a 'Constructivist' painter. Naum Gabo was multilingual and was able to speak and write German, French, and English, in addition to Russian.

After finishing his school in 1910 at Kursk, Naum Gabo enrolled himself in the Munich University, where he studied medicine, natural sciences, alongside learning art history under Heinrich Wölfflin. It was in 1912, when he was attending an engineering institute in Munich that he first came across 'Abstract Art.' Naum Gabo's education in engineering helped him in developing and mastering his sculptural work that involved the usage of mechanical tools. In the year 1913, Naum Gabo joined hands with his brother to pursue arts in Paris, where he met some 'Cubist' painters. Around this time, Gabo had gained popularity and even won Logan Medal of the Arts.

He migrated to Copenhagen and then to Oslo, after the outbreak of the First World War. Naum Gabo's earlier works were mostly 'figurative,' where cardboard and wood found maximum usage. His first construction came in existence in the year 1915. One of his famous sculptures of those times, "Head No.2," now graces the Tate Collection, representing the volume of a figure without carrying proportionate mass.

Naum Gabo returned to Russia in 1917, after spending five years with his brother in Moscow. During this period, he contributed his works to the Agit-prop exhibitions and took up teaching at the Higher Art and Technical Workshop. Making good use of his technical education, he tried to experiment with a process called 'Kinetic Sculpture' around this time. Naum Gabo jointly with his brother, Antoine, got his book 'Realistic Manifesto' published in 1920, which was a pioneering work in documenting 'Constructivism.'

Naum Gabo then moved to Germany, where he met various artists of the de Stijl, the Dutch artistic movement of 1917, and also taught at Bauhaus, the school of crafts and fine arts. He designed a fountain in Dresden, which was later destroyed. The artist and his brother, Antonie, rolled out a 'Realistic Manifesto' in August 1920, which promoted 'Constructivism,' while criticizing 'Cubism' and 'Futurism.' The duo had a joint exhibition in Paris in the year 1924, and designed the stage and costumes for Diaghilev's ballet 'La Chatte,' in 1926. Naum Gabo was also a member of the Abstraction-Creation Group in Paris during 1932-36. He moved to London in the year 1936, and lived in Cornwall for the most of his stay. He finally shifted to the US in 1946, and got US citizenship in 1952.

Naum Gabo's art focused on the concept of time and space, using a wide variety of materials, such as plastics, fishing line, bronze, sheets of Perspex, and boulders to make 'Surreal' sculptures. His works represented a beautiful blend of tangible and intangible elements. Naum Gamo is considered as one of the greatest artists of all times, whose art pieces still generate enough interest, to be displayed at a number of public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Gallery in London. The legendary artist breathed his last on August 23, 1977.

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Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, Canada. She has more than 25 years experience and is the founder-developer of an online art gallery featuring original art. It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Is is also a venue for artists to display and sell their art. Artists join for free and their image upload is unlimited. Please visit the website at www.labedzki-art.com

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