Antoine Pevsner

Antoine Pevsner (1886-1962), Russian-French sculptor, a leader of the constructivist movement in modern sculpture (see Constructivism). Born in Orël, he studied in Kyiv, visited avant-garde artists in Paris, and during World War I worked in Norway with his brother, the sculptor Naum Gabo. When they returned to Russia in 1917, Pevsner taught at the Moscow School of Fine Arts. In 1920 Gabo and Pevsner issued their Realist Manifesto, an acute summary of the issues confronting 20th-century art and a declaration of their own artistic principles. In 1923 political pressures forced them to emigrate. Settling in Paris, Pevsner, until then primarily a painter, turned to sculpture. He developed a deeply influential style—at once true to constructivist principles and highly personal—with complex curves and planes, clear definitions of space, and a great sense of dynamic tension. His works include Developable Column (1942, Museum of Modern Art, New York City) and the monumental outdoor Dynamic Projection in the 30th Degree (University City, Caracas, Venezuela).