Naum Gabo Model for ‘Shadow Piece’ 1951–2

The relationship between a sculpture and the space around it fascinated Gabo. Rather than being a solid mass, this work is a delicate lattice of bronze. It is accompanied by a drawing that demonstrates the shadows that the sculpture casts. Gabo often conceived his works as large public sculptures, though this one was never realised on a bigger scale. He was a pioneer of abstract sculpture in Russia immediately after the revolution. Having lived in Germany, France and Britain, he settled in the United States in 1946 and was granted citizenship in 1952.