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Bust of Alfred Wolmark
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Bust of Alfred Wolmark 1913
Warsaw-born artist Alfred Wolmark was involved with the Vorticist group of artists in London and was a leader of the avant garde before the first World War. As a tribute to Wolmark’s friendship and support, Gaudier-Brzeska made a bust in plaster and presented it to the sitter. Six bronze casts were later made, of which this is the first. The facetted modelling of the face and hair show the artist’s interest in Cubism, a relatively recent artistic development. The bust is larger than life-size and the treatment of the head in profile gives this monumental work a sense of movement.

Glossary Open

Avant garde

Cultural practices that challenge tradition through experimentation and innovation. Originally a military term, in art it is particularly associated with the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Bust

Sculpted portrait consisting of the head and the top of the shoulders.

Cast

The production of a sculpture by use of a mould to make a copy, usually in a more durable material, of the original work. The term is used to describe both the process and the resulting object.

Cubism

A style of painting originated by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the first two decades of the 20th century. Instead of painting a figure or object from a fixed position they represented it from multiple viewpoints.

Vorticism

A radical English art movement of the early 20th century led by Wyndham Lewis. Influenced by the Futurists, they favoured urban, industrial subjects and promoted a hard-edged, angular style.

Avant garde, Bust, Cast, Cubism , Vorticism

Details

  • Acc. No. GMA 4718
  • Medium Bronze
  • Size 67.00 x 55.00 x 40.00 cm
  • Credit Acquired in memory of Dr David Brown with assistance from the Art Fund, the Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland, and contributions from his friends 2004

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