Constantin Brâncuși

The father of modern sculpture — forms reduced to their pure essence.

Born to a peasant family in Oltenia, Brâncuși studied in Craiova and Bucharest, then walked much of the way to Paris in 1904. After briefly working in Rodin's studio he left, saying 'nothing grows in the shadow of great trees'. His birds, eggs, heads and columns, carved directly in stone and wood or polished in bronze, redefined sculpture. His Târgu Jiu ensemble — Table of Silence, Gate of the Kiss and Endless Column — is a memorial to the soldiers of WWI.

“Simplicity is not an end in art, but we arrive at simplicity in spite of ourselves.”