Bird in Space, by Constantin Brancusi

Bird in Space (1923) was created by the Romanian/French sculptor Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957). It can be seen in Paris at the Musée National d’Art Moderne.

This highly polished bronze, which is often regarded as the pinnacle of Brancusi’s work, stands five feet tall, supported on a solid stone base that contrasts with the lightness of the metal. 

Is it a bird lifting into the air? Or a golden feather falling to earth? Its beauty derives from the fact that it is neither symmetrical nor geometrical, and therefore appears to be a product of nature rather than human artifice.

It has a haunting presence that encapsulates Brancusi’s mystic symbolic approach to art, governed by his fascination with universal symbols of life and fertility, and a desire to “arrive at simplicity in spite of ourselves”. 

Brancusi was renowned for reworking his themes in a constant search for purity. That was why he created 28 versions of “Bird in Space”.

© John Welford