Golden Bird
Having found the photographs others made of his work uninspired, Brancusi took up the camera to reinterpret and present his sculptures as he alone saw them. His technique was not professional, but his photographs are highly imaginative and are now being recognized as characteristic works of his genius. The burst of light in the breast of the Golden Bird gives it an aura of primitive magic that seems to radiate from it, and the picture's organization is as magisterial and as seemingly simple as the authoritative minimalism of the sculpture.
Artwork Details
- Title: Golden Bird
- Artist: Constantin Brancusi (French (born Romania), Hobita 1876–1957 Paris)
- Date: ca. 1920
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: 22.7 x 14.7 cm (8 15/16 x 5 13/16 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987
- Object Number: 1987.1100.37
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.