They were addressed to Victor N. Popp with an address in Romania and at the time of this purchase I had no idea that Brâncuși had made them. Shortly afterwards Victors son contacted me through Sotheby’s and it was then that I learnt that Brâncuși had taken them. I spent the next 10 years meeting elderly publishers, musicians, composers, painters sculptors and endless girlfriends, all with Brâncuși stories and a glint in their eyes while they told them and many still with photographs he had given them.’
Writes Brancusi expert and collector, David Grob, in our catalogue for the Byrne Brancusi show now on at Connolly.
‘Brâncuși adored women and women adored Brâncuși and after a visit to the studio many were given photographs. Some complained that after an overnight stay it was impossible to take a bath as it was being used to wash his photographs.’
Apart from photographing his studio and sculpture Brâncuși photographed his friends and lovers, took dozens of self-portraits and still life’s of flowers often given or sent to girlfriends, many inscribed. One to the dancer Florence Homolka, “Tonight during the dress rehearsal, I will be amongst these flowers celebrating your triumph”. The still life’s are the rarest of all his photographs, he made 18 different images and between 1 and 3 prints from each negative and there are no more than 12 remaining in private hands. We are very honoured to be showing for sale this beautiful and rare silver gelatin print, Bouquet made in 1933 at Connolly and it would make the most perfect, the most romantic Valentines gift…
- Isabel