Elie Nadelman American, 1882-1946 Man in a Top Hat Painted bronze with gold patina Height 27 1/4 inches Provenance: Estate of Benjamin Sonnenberg, New York Thence by descent to Ben Sonnenberg, New York With a distinguished provenance, Man in a Top Hat appears identical to a galvano-plastique bearing the same title, and from which it may have been cast. Although it is not known when the bronze was cast, the galvano-plastique itself remained in the artist's estate until 2001, when it was included in the exhibition, Elie Nadelman Galvano-Plastiques (Feb. 26 - March 3, 2001, Salander O'Reilly Galleries, no. 1). It is now privately owned. It is also not known when Benjamin Sonnenberg (1901-1978) acquired the bronze head, but it is unlikely that a cast that so closely relates to the galvano-plastique could have been produced without authorization, nor painted in the distinctive manner that appears on bronzes produced during the lifetime of Elie Nadelman Man in a Top Hat appears to be contemporaneous with a group of figures in galvano-plastique, inspired by the circus and by music-hall performers, that were exhibited in January, 1927, at Knoedler & Company in New York and subsequently at Bernheim-Jeune in Paris. It has been suggested that Nadelman employed the unusual medium of electroplated plaster because he wished to make art (as with his later miniature circus figures cast in plaster and clay) accessible to a wider and less affluent audience. It appears that Nadelman had not initially intended to cast these enchanting figures in bronze. However, in 1929, when Juliana Force requested the loan of one of them for her forthcoming exhibition, The Circus in Paint, he replied that the works were "'at present at the foundry to be cast in bronze.'" (As quoted in Cynthia Nadelman, "Galvano-Plastiques," Elie Nadelman Galvano-Plastiques, Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, 2001, n.p.) The plaster residue on the interior of the present work is consistent with that on other known bronzes cast by Nadelman. C Estate of Ben Sonnenberg
Overall good condition.
Elie Nadelman American, 1882-1946 Man in a Top Hat Painted bronze with gold patina Height 27 1/4 inches Provenance: Estate of Benjamin Sonnenberg, New York Thence by descent to Ben Sonnenberg, New York With a distinguished provenance, Man in a Top Hat appears identical to a galvano-plastique bearing the same title, and from which it may have been cast. Although it is not known when the bronze was cast, the galvano-plastique itself remained in the artist's estate until 2001, when it was included in the exhibition, Elie Nadelman Galvano-Plastiques (Feb. 26 - March 3, 2001, Salander O'Reilly Galleries, no. 1). It is now privately owned. It is also not known when Benjamin Sonnenberg (1901-1978) acquired the bronze head, but it is unlikely that a cast that so closely relates to the galvano-plastique could have been produced without authorization, nor painted in the distinctive manner that appears on bronzes produced during the lifetime of Elie Nadelman Man in a Top Hat appears to be contemporaneous with a group of figures in galvano-plastique, inspired by the circus and by music-hall performers, that were exhibited in January, 1927, at Knoedler & Company in New York and subsequently at Bernheim-Jeune in Paris. It has been suggested that Nadelman employed the unusual medium of electroplated plaster because he wished to make art (as with his later miniature circus figures cast in plaster and clay) accessible to a wider and less affluent audience. It appears that Nadelman had not initially intended to cast these enchanting figures in bronze. However, in 1929, when Juliana Force requested the loan of one of them for her forthcoming exhibition, The Circus in Paint, he replied that the works were "'at present at the foundry to be cast in bronze.'" (As quoted in Cynthia Nadelman, "Galvano-Plastiques," Elie Nadelman Galvano-Plastiques, Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, 2001, n.p.) The plaster residue on the interior of the present work is consistent with that on other known bronzes cast by Nadelman. C Estate of Ben Sonnenberg
Overall good condition.
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
