Dimensions: object: 406 x 89 x 83 mm Permanently attached to MDF(paintable) plinth base 15x210x255 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Henri Gaudier-Brzeska's marble sculpture, "The Imp," resides here at the Tate. I'm always struck by its scale; just over 40 centimeters, yet it feels monumental. Editor: Monumental, yes! But also playful. It's got this whimsical twist, like a mischievous spirit frozen in time. Curator: The twist, the way he carves directly into the material, simplifying the human form...Gaudier-Brzeska was actively rejecting the established bourgeois art world. Editor: I see the rejection, but also a tenderness. The marble has this translucent quality, almost like skin. Maybe he's humanizing the rebellious spirit. Curator: Perhaps. Gaudier-Brzeska saw beauty in the industrial age, embracing its materials and forms. His untimely death in World War I cut short an extraordinary career. Editor: A reminder that even the most potent art can be tragically fleeting. "The Imp" might be a rebellion, but it's a beautiful one. Curator: Indeed. It's a potent reminder of the artist's brief, yet impactful, life and exploration of form.
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Gaudier-Brzeska much admired the non-European sculptures that he saw at the British Museum. The Imp echoes the proportions and features of such sculptures. The overtly phallic form reflects the commonly held view of the day that equated so-called ‘primitive’ cultures with energising sexuality. Gallery label, August 2004
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