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Firebird

Theodore Roszak American, born Poland
1950–51
Not on view
The sculptures Roszak made after World War II represent a fusion of his previous geometric constructivism and a much freer expressionism. Firebird is one of the most successful works rendered in this new style. Of the concept behind the sculpture, Roszak told an interviewer: "It is Chinese . . . a Chinese allusion. I came upon it in Stravinsky, the wonderful piece of music he had written around it. He has these slow smoldering chords that accelerate and then whip up into a terrific frenzy of sound. . . . [The firebird] embodied a kind of ritualistic experience that found its habitat in practically any part of the world that has lived long enough to go through a smoldering and phoenixlike emergence out of complete desolation, affirming its life all over again."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Firebird
  • Artist: Theodore Roszak (American (born Poland), Poznan 1907–1981 New York)
  • Date: 1950–51
  • Medium: Iron brazed with bronze and brass
  • Dimensions: 31 × 27 × 42 in., 173.5 lb. (78.7 × 68.6 × 106.7 cm, 78.7 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection, Gift of Muriel Kallis Newman, in memory of the artist, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.16.1
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
[Photogram: Geometric Forms, Circles], Theodore Roszak American, born Poland, Gelatin silver print
[Photogram: Geometric Forms, Circles]
Theodore Roszak
ca. 1937–1941
Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American
Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907
Commode à vantaux, David Roentgen German, Oak, pine, walnut, mahogany, and cherry veneered with hornbeam (partially stained), tulipwood, walnut, holly and maple (both partially stained), boxwood, mahogany, and other woods; red brocatelle marble; gilt bronze; iron, steel, and brass, German, Neuwied am Rhein
Commode à vantaux
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1775–79 with later alterations
[Photogram of Geometric Forms: 2 Circles, Square and Bar Inscribed within Larger Circle], Theodore Roszak American, born Poland, Gelatin silver print
[Photogram of Geometric Forms: 2 Circles, Square and Bar Inscribed within Larger Circle]
Theodore Roszak
1937–41
Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American
Necklace
Meta Overbeck
Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15

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