Brancusi’s sculptures make wonderfully clean images: form, light, empty space. MoMA’s Brancusi: The Artist and His Studio brings back what usually stays outside the frame.
Rarely lent works from the artist’s Paris studio meet MoMA’s collection alongside photographs, films, hand-carved furniture, pedestals, tools and archive materials. The Atelier Brancusi, part of the Centre Pompidou collection, is currently closed for renovation.
His studio gradually became a complete environment where making, displaying and everyday life existed together. A pedestal therefore deserves as much attention as the sculpture standing on it. For a designer, this is a useful route into how a simple result grows from complicated surroundings. It may also bring to mind your own desk, where clean form is still looking for a free patch. The exhibition runs until 27 February 2027. Check the museum for hours and tickets.
