1887–1964
Alexander Archipenko
Innovator of modern sculpture
Kyiv-born sculptor and one of the founders of Cubist sculpture. He made the void and the hole part of the form, and this device influenced modern sculpture of the 20th century.
Key accomplishments
- One of the first to use the void and the hole as an expressive element of sculpture
- One of the first to create “sculpto-painting”, a combination of sculpture and painting
- 118 solo exhibitions in Europe and the United States
Who he was
Alexander Archipenko was born in Kyiv and studied at the Kyiv Art School (he was expelled for taking part in student protests), then in Moscow. In 1908 he moved to Paris, at the time the capital of the artistic avant-garde. There he exhibited alongside the Cubists and quickly became one of the leaders of Cubist sculpture. In 1921–1923 he lived in Berlin, where he founded an art school, and in 1923 he moved to the United States, where he taught and opened his own school.
His story
Archipenko rethought the very idea of sculpture. Traditionally, sculpture is mass and volume, but he made the void and the hole expressive: the absence of form became part of the form. He also experimented with color, glass, metal and transparent materials, and in his “sculpto-painting” he combined relief with painting.
Why it matters today
Archipenko’s techniques influenced modern sculpture of the 20th century. Throughout his life he stressed his Ukrainian origin: he made sculpted portraits of Shevchenko and Franko and helped create the Ukrainian pavilion at the 1933 world’s fair in Chicago.
