ARCHIPENKO ALEXANDER: (1887-1964) Ukrainian-born American avant-garde artist and sculptor, associated with Cubism. A good vintage signed and inscribed sepia 8 x 10 photograph, the image showing the sculptor´s dramatic bronze bust of Willem Mengelberg. Signed by Archipenko in fountain pen ink across a clear area of the background, with an inscription to a school of music, and also dated 1931 in his hand. A few very small pinholes to the corners, and one crease to the upper left corner. About VG

Willem Mengelberg (1871-1951) Dutch conductor.

Archipenko´s bronze bust of Mengelberg was created in 1926. The work was made when Mengelberg was conducting in New York with the Philharmonic Society (now the New York Philharmonic). Archipenko attended one of his performances (reportedly Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Carnegie Hall) and became fascinated by the conductor’s expressive gestures, which inspired him to model the bust. Today the work is displayed in the conductors’ foyer of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.