Bacchanale
Medium
bronze, copper, brass
Dimensions
172.7 × 137.2 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
American Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
In memory of Julia K. Dalton by her nephews, George S. Kendrick and Harry D. Kendrick
Accession Number
1943.384
Tags
About this artwork
While visiting London, sculptor Malvina Hoffman was electrified by a dance performance featuring Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Mordkin, two highly acclaimed Russian ballet stars. Together the dancers presented a bacchanale, a work inspired by the legendary followers of Bacchus, the ancient Roman god of wine. In this uninhibited and erotically charged piece, both dancers cavorted on stage, their movements accented by grasped veils of gauze. Hoffman’s Bacchanale is her vibrant interpretation of the per...