Provenance:

Private Collection, New York; their sale:

Swann Galleries, New York, 9 March 2000, lot 704; where acquired by:

Private Collection, New York, until 2025.

A key figure in early 20th-century sculpture, Elie Nadelman synthesized classical tradition with modernist aesthetics to create works of striking refinement and beauty. Our classical head of a woman, sculpted around 1920 soon after Nadelman moved to the United States, exemplifies his masterful ability to distill the essence of antiquity into a streamlined, modern form.

Expertly carved in marble, this work reflects Nadelman’s enduring fascination with idealized beauty, which he first developed during his studies of ancient sculptures at Munich’s Glyptothek and later refined in Paris amidst the artistic ferment of the early 20th century. Nadelman was an acquaintance of Gertrude and Leo Stein, the latter of whom introduced him to Pablo Picasso and other leading avant-garde artists. After contributing to the Salon des Indépendants and at the Salon d’Automne from 1905 to 1908 and having a one-man show at the Galerie Druet in 1909, Nadelman was included in the 1913 Armory Show in New York. His now international reputation benefited him greatly just one year later when he permanently moved to America to escape World War I.  

By the time this ethereal woman was conceived, Nadelman had firmly established himself in America. Building upon his repertoire of classical female heads and full-length standing nudes that he developed in Paris, in New York the artist’s works increasingly engaged with both classical sources and vernacular traditions, resulting in a distinctive sculptural language that bridged fine art and folk art—a special area of interest for Nadelman. In the present work, the smooth, geometric precision of the face, with its serene yet enigmatic expression, evokes both the purity of classical prototypes and the elegance that defined Nadelman’s mature style. The softly undulating hair adds a rhythmic quality that recalls the stylized refinement of ancient sculpture.

The work dates from ca. 1915–1920, early in Elie Nadelman’s American period. The signature “Eli” on the sculpture is consistent with the artist’s practices and represents an early form of his signature, which changed over time (Fig. 1). It reflects the artist’s given name, Eliasz, which he later shortened to Elie.