Male Torso

From the museum

This sculpture depicts a simplified human torso without limbs or head. The artist’s goal was not to move toward abstraction, but to capture the essence of things in his sculptures. Here, he stripped the human body down to its most basic components: one sleek cylinder representing the torso and two representing the upper thighs. Constantin Brancusi made three versions of this artwork: a wood version (Philadelphia Museum of Art) and two in brass (this museum and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden). The smooth surfaces of the brass versions dazzle the eye with their gleaming high polish. Brancusi studied under Auguste Rodin but left after a few months, commenting: "Nothing can grow under big trees."

The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0