Naum Gabo

Naum Gabo

Principally known as the main protagonist of the Constructivist movement in the 1920s, Russian artist Naum Gabo (1890 – 1977) created some of the most inspirational sculptures of the twentieth century. His constructions, ranging from the early figurative Head No.2, to his large public kinetic sculpture commissions, embodied the modernist preoccupations of art in relation to science, architecture and philosophy, and made him one of the leading figures of the Russian avant-garde.

Gabo developed the theories and practice of Constructivism, a term he coined with his brother in their ‘Realistic Manifesto’ of 1920 which promoted art as a part of man’s everyday existence without the confinement of artistic terms and convention. He travelled extensively to the hubs of modernism in Europe, spending time with the de Stijl, Bauhaus, and Mondrian’s Abstraction-Creation group, later moving to Cornwall where his influence on the St Ives group can be seen in the work of Barbara Hepworth and Peter Lanyon, amongst others.

A dedicated monograph on this truly original artist has been long overdue, and this accessible and comprehensive book is the ideal guide to Gabo’s life and work. Containing over 140 colour illustrations, including photographs from private archives and the artist’s family collections, Naum Gabo will introduce a new audience to the achievements of an artistic master.