Alexander Archipenko’s birthdate of May 30, 1887, located in Kiev, Russia (currently known as Kyiv, Ukraine), marks the start of a remarkable journey. Enrolling in the Kiev Art School in 1902, he delved into the world of painting and sculpture, a pursuit that lasted until 1905. During this period, the exquisite Byzantine icons, frescoes, and mosaics of Kiev left a lasting impression on him. After a brief stay in Moscow, Archipenko made the move to Paris in 1908. His time at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts was short, but he continued honing his skills independently at the Musée du Louvre, which quickly sparked his interest in Egyptian, Assyrian, archaic Greek, and early Gothic sculptures. As early as 1910, his work was showcased at the Salon des Independents in Paris, and the following year debuted at the Salon d’Automne.
In 1912, Archipenko’s debut solo exhibition in Germany took place at the Museum Folkwang Hagen. That same year, he opened the first of many art schools in Paris and joined the Section d’Or group, along with fellow artists Georges Braque, Marcel Duchamp, Fernand Léger, and Pablo Picasso. It was during this time that he created his first painted reliefs, known as the Sculpto-Peintures. A year later, in 1913, Archipenko’s work was featured in the Armory Show in New York, and he ventured into the world of printmaking, with his pieces appearing in the Italian Futurist publication Lacerba in 1914. He continued to showcase his work at the Salon des Indépendants in 1914 and the Venice Biennale in 1920. Amidst the war, Archipenko found solace in Cimiez, a suburb of Nice. When the war ended, he traveled across Europe, exhibiting in cities such as Geneva, Zurich, Paris, London, Brussels, and Athens. In 1921, the Société Anonyme in New York hosted his first solo show in the United States.
The year 1923 saw Archipenko’s move from Berlin to the US, where he went on to establish art schools in New York City, Woodstock, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Four years later, in 1924, he created his first kinetic work, the Archipentura. For the next three decades, he served as a teacher at different art schools and universities across the US, including the short-lived New Bauhaus. In 1928, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
The majority of Archipenko’s compositions housed in German museums were seized by the Nazis during their eradication of “degenerate art.” In 1947, he conceived his initial sculptures that radiate light from within. He joined his awe-inspiring exhibition of creations across Germany in the years 1955-56 and simultaneously commenced working on his book “Archipenko: Fifty Creative Years 1908-1958,” ultimately released in 1960. The luminary artist passed away on February 25, 1964, in the heart of New York City.
www.ftn-books.com has several important publications on Archipenko now available.
