Bird in Space
Medium
marble, stone, and wood
Dimensions
overall (marble "bird"): 181.9 x 13.7 x 16.2 cm (71 5/8 x 5 3/8 x 6 3/8 in.) overall (total height of bird and bases): 344.6 cm (135 11/16 in.) overall (height of both stone bases): 44.8 cm (17 5/8 in.) overall (height of wood base): 120 cm (47 1/4 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer
Accession Number
1967.13.3
Art Historical Context
Constantin Brâncuși's *Bird in Space* (5) is a masterful example of modernist sculpture, capturing the essence of flight through abstraction. Carved from polished white marble, the soaring, ovoid form—measuring 181.9 x 13.7 x 16.2 cm—tapers elegantly to evoke a bird in graceful motion, stripped of feathers or anatomical details. Mounted on custom stone and wood bases that elevate it to a total height of 344.6 cm, the work transforms a simple gallery space into a realm of pure, streamlined beauty. As a Romanian-born pioneer of modernism, Brâncuși revolutionized sculpture by reducing forms to t...