Antoine Pevsner
Pevsner, Antoine (1886-1962), Russian-French sculptor, a leader of the
constructivist movement in modern sculpture (see Constructivism). Born
in Orël, he studied in Kyiv, visited avant-garde artists in Paris,
and during World War I worked in Norway with his brother, the sculptor
Naum Gabo. When they returned to Russia in 1917, Pevsner taught at the
Moscow School of Fine Arts. In 1920 Gabo and Pevsner issued their Realist
Manifesto, an acute summary of the issues confronting 20th-century art
and a declaration of their own artistic principles. In 1923 political pressures
forced them to emigrate.
Settling in Paris, Pevsner, until then primarily a painter, turned to
sculpture. He developed a deeply influential style-at once true to constructivist
principles and highly personal-with complex curves and planes, clear definitions
of space, and a great sense of dynamic tension. His works include Developable
Column (1942, Museum of Modern Art, New York City) and the monumental outdoor
Dynamic Projection in the 30th Degree (University City, Caracas, Venezuela).