Ivan Mestrovic
Malvina Hoffman
American Art
On View: Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor
One of the few American students of the famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin, Malvina Hoffman also studied equestrian sculpture briefly with the Croatian artist Ivan Mestrovic (1881-1962). While she worked with him, Mestrovic did her portrait and Hoffman modeled what eventually became this over-life-size statue of her mentor. Clad in an open-collared smock and loose trousers, the figure peers intently at the lump of clay waiting to be modeled in his hand. This monumental image portrays Mestrovic, who later settled in the United States, as a heroic artist at the height of his creative powers.
MEDIUM
Bronze
DATES
1925
DIMENSIONS
86 5/8 x 42 1/8 x 31 1/2 in. (220 x 107 x 80 cm) (show scale)
MARKINGS
Foundry mark inscribed on proper left side at bottom of base: "ROMAN BRONZE WORKS N-Y-"
SIGNATURE
Inscribed on proper left front, top corner of base: "MALViNA HOFFMAN / 1925"
COLLECTIONS
American Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
26.519
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Felix M. Warburg and Edward C. Blum
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Over-life-sized figure of a man standing on a mounded base; figure stands with legs apart and turns head to gaze at loosely modeled crucifix held up in proper right hand; proper left hand holds chisel and rests against chest; figure dressed in work clothes of loose pants and an open-collared robe; has short hair, mustache, and goatee; overall textured, rough surface.
Condition: Good
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor
CAPTION
Malvina Hoffman (American, 1885–1966). Ivan Mestrovic, 1925. Bronze, 86 5/8 x 42 1/8 x 31 1/2 in. (220 x 107 x 80 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Felix M. Warburg and Edward C. Blum, 26.519. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 26.519_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 26.519_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
© Estate of Malvina Hoffman
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