18 5/8 in. x 9 3/8 in. x 11 1/2 in. (47.31 cm x 23.81 cm x 29.21 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Creation Place
North America, United States
Medium and Support
pink Tennessee marble
Credit Line
Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
1985.35
William Zorach was one of a small number of American sculptors who broke with academic tradition and embraced modernism during the volatile period between the two world wars. This idealized bust portrait of his wife Marguerite, an equally accomplished artist, was Zorach’s first important sculpture, begun only a year after he took up the chisel. He employed the method of “direct carving,” working without preparatory studies, guided by the inherent possibilities of the stone and the careful observation of the model. In its day, this commanding portrait bust epitomized a contemporary classicism that aimed for authenticity and purity of form through references to archaic Greek sculpture. Yet by leaving rough chisel marks on the sculpture’s surface, particularly in the bust’s hair, Zorach had also established a modern sculptural language that acknowledged the artistic process.
Help us make our collections more accessible by providing keywords to describe this artwork. The BCMA uses the
Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus to
provide consistent keywords. Enter a keyword in the field below and you will be prompted with a list of possible matching AAT preferred terms.
