Hugo Robus (1885-1964) Dawn inscribed 'HUGO ROBUS' and stamped with the Fonderia Artistica Battaglia foundry mark (on the side of her right foot) bronze with brown patina 66 1/2 in. (168.9 cm.) high Modeled in 1931; Cast in 1974. Footnotes: Provenance Forum Gallery, New York, December 1979. Ashland Oil, acquired from the above, December 1980. Forum Gallery, New York, from the above, circa September 2002. Acquired by the present owner from the above, March 16, 2007. Exhibited New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, First Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors, and Prints, December 5th, 1933-January 11, 1934, pp. 8, 29, no. 31, plaster model exhibited. New York, Grand Central Art Galleries, Inc., Three Progressive Sculptors, March 19-April 6, 1946, n.p., no. 7, plaster model exhibited. Literature F. Watson, 'Two Biennials That Beat as One,' Parnassus, December 1933, vol. V, no. VII, p. 8, plaster model listed. L. Cross, 'The Sculpture of Hugo Robus,' Parnassus, April 1934, vol. VI, no. IV, p. 14, plaster model listed. Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts, One Hundred and Forty-Fifth Annual Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia, 1950, no. 207, another example illustrated. W.E. Baum, 'Academy Art Show Opening Today,' Philadelphia Sunday Bulletin, Philadelphia, January 22, 1950, another example illustrated. D. Drummond, 'The Pennsylvania Academy Annual Honors Uninvited Guests,' Art Digest, February 1, 1950, vol. 24, no. 9, pp. 8-9, another example illustrated. 'Frontispiece,' League Quarterly, Spring 1950, vol. 22, no. 1, another example illustrated. 'Hugo Robus,' See, January 1951, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 33, another example illustrated. L. Rothschild, Hugo Robus, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1960, pp. 12, 35, no. 4, another example illustrated. Forum Gallery, Hugo Robus, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1963, n.p., no. 3, another example listed. S. Tillim, 'New York Exhibitions: Month in Review,' Arts Magazine, February 1963, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 42-43, another example illustrated. 'Hugo Robus Dead; Sculptor Was 78: Apostle of Creed of Rhythm—Exhibited at Whitney,' The New York Times, New York, January 15, 1964, vol. CXIII, no. 38,707, p. 31, another example listed. Forum Gallery, L. Goodrich, Hugo Robus (1885-1964): Memorial Exhibition, New York, 1966, n.p., no. 12, another example illustrated. Whitney Museum of American Art, The 1930's: Painting & Sculpture in America, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1968, n.p., no. 85, another example listed. J. Siegel, 'The 1930's: Painting and Sculpture in America, An Exhibition to Change Art History,' Arts Magazine, November 1968, vol. 43, no. 2, p. 31, another example illustrated. A. Mikotajuk, 'REVIEWS, New York,' Arts Magazine, April 1973, vol. 47, no. 6, p. 88, another example listed. T. Armstrong, W. Craven, N. Feder, B. Haskell, R.E. Krauss, D. Robbins, M. Tucker, 200 Years of American Sculpture, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1976, p. 303, plaster model listed. R.K. Tarbell, Hugo Robus (1885-1964), exhibition catalogue, Washington, D.C., 1980, pp. 65, 68-69, 72, 134, 136, 141, 148, 150, 158-59, 174, 238, fig. 34, cat. no. 19, the plaster model and other bronze examples illustrated. P.H. Falk, A.A. Bien, eds., The Annual Exhibition Record of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Volume III, 1914-1968, Madison, Connecticut, 1989, p. 394, no. 207, another example listed. Forum Gallery, Hugo Robus: Sculpture and Paintings, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2007, n.p., another example illustrated. The present work is number 4 from an edition of 6. The present work was cast by Fonderia Battaglia in 1974 and is the first posthumous cast of Dawn produced. Hugo Robus' Dawn is one of the most significant sculptures in the artist's oeuvre that demonstrates his mastered abilities as a modeler and the inspiration he found in all aspects of nature and life. Modeled in 1931, Dawn depicts a young adolescent female with soft features standing tall with her legs spread apart in a wide stance. She greets the new day with her arms raised toward the sky and behind her head, stretching and yawning with a comical, energetic expression. At its core, Dawn is a personification of the human experience and explores the duality of the physical and the spiritual. In her young adolescent state, she exemplifies the familial act of waking from a deep slumber, as well as the essence of awakening both mentally and physically into maturity. In 1933, Robus was invited to exhibit his work in the first annual exhibition of sculpture at the Whitney Museum of American Art and chose the plaster model for Dawn from which the present work is cast from. This would be the first sculpture Robus would exhibit in his career. 17 years later, Robus exhibited Dawn in bronze at the Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts, where he was awarded the George D. Widener Memorial Medal. He was the 38th recipient of the medal, joining the ranks of some of the most accomplished sculptors of the 20th century to receive the prize, such as Paul Howard Manship (1885-1966) who won in 1914 and Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) who won in 1937. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W W If the lot is not picked up immediately following the auction it may be removed to an offsite storage location for collection. Please contact the salesroom location for further details including dates of removal and applicable charges. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com