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Recognized primarily for his Cubist-inspired sculpture, Archipenko also featured the disjunctive planes and irregular contours of Cubism in his paintings, such as Promenade.

Archipenko worked in Europe until emigrating to the United States in 1923.

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Alexander Archipenko

Promenade, about 1945

oil on canvas

28 x 22 in.

Bequest of C. J. Bulliet

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Alexander Archipenko was born in Russia and moved to Paris at age twenty-one, where he became associated with such avant-garde artists as Pablo Picasso.  Three years later he was exhibiting at the Salon d-Automne and with the Indépendants.  Archipenko was not only a creative sculptor but also founded his own art school, but his most crucial role was introducing Cubism to sculpture.  He moved to the United States in 1923 at age thirty five where he founded the Guild School in New York City as well as other locations including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Woodstock. Archipenko continued to experiment with a variety of sculpture techniques throughout his career.  He became an American citizen and lived the rest of his life in New York. 

Recognized primarily for his cubist sculptures, Archipenko also incorporated the daring innovations of cubism in his paintings.  The two images in Promenade show a structure of disjunctive planes and irregular contours associated with the cubist style.  Cubism released the artist’s energies and provided him with the intellectual discipline which is important to the strength and power of his compositions.

Reference

Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian Museum.  Alexander Archipenko: Vision and Continuity, Ukrainian Museum, 2005.  ISBN: 0966062116