Constantin Brancusi changed the face of modern sculpture

Reconstruction of Brancusi's studio in Paris by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, 1992-96

Bucharest/Prague - His sculptures are said to evoke an irresistible desire in people to touch them, to caress them. The work of Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi, who was born 135 years ago on February 19, 1876, continues to attract and fascinate. His brilliantly simple sculpture Bird in Space is among the ten most expensive works of its kind in the world, and the artist himself is considered one of the most significant and influential artists of the 20th century.
    Brancusi changed the face of modern sculpture just as Pablo Picasso influenced the evolution of painting. However, his name is not as well-known as those of his close friends Marcel Duchamp or Amedeo Modigliani.
    Constantin Brancusi came from southern Romania. He initially trained as an artistic carpenter and then studied sculpture in Bucharest. When he began to find his home country too small, he moved to Paris, the then capital of art, via Budapest, Vienna, and Munich in 1904. There, he was initially inspired by the works of the great Auguste Rodin but also by African and Oriental art. Over time, he developed his own abstract style, remarkable for its simplicity and purity. He drew his inspiration mainly from nature, reducing its shapes to basic, ideal forms.
    Constantin Brancusi died on March 16, 1957. Friends remembered him as a affable person who loved good food and women, but was fully devoted only to his art.