Jacques LipchitzSeated Man with Clarinet I 1920

The figure of a clarinet player emerges from a series of block-like forms in this sculpture. Musical subject matter was typical of early works by the cubists Picasso and Braque, and the angular facets of this work suggest a relationship to the geometric shapes of cubist painting. The work also reflects the aesthetic ideals of purism, a movement which began after the First World War and sought to develop aspects of cubism, emphasising simplicity and harmony.