Bird in Space

A man named Constantin Brâncuși made a special art piece. It is called "Bird in Space."

He did not make wings or feathers. He wanted to show how a bird moves. The shape is long and thin. It looks like it is soaring through the air.

He made many of these pieces. Some are made of white stone. Others are made of shiny metal.

One time, people thought it was not art. They tried to make him pay a tax. But a judge said it was art. He said the piece was beautiful to look at.

Now, you can see these birds in many museums.

Constantin Brâncuși was a famous sculptor from Romania. He made a series of works called "Bird in Space." He worked on these pieces for 20 years. He made them in many different ways. Seven of them are made of marble, which is a white stone. Nine of them are made of polished bronze, a shiny metal.

Brâncuși did not make the birds look like real animals. He did not include wings or feathers. Instead, he wanted to show how a bird moves. The sculptures have long, thin bodies. The head and beak are just a slanted oval shape. He wanted to capture the feeling of soaring through the air.

In 1926, there was a big fight about this art. When the sculptures arrived in New York, officials said they were not art. They thought the bronze piece was just a metal object. They tried to make the owner pay a tax.

Many artists and experts went to court to help. They said the work was art because it was a new style. This style is called abstract art. A judge finally agreed. He said the work was beautiful and symmetrical. This was a big win for new kinds of art.

The sculptures called "Bird in Space" are very special pieces of art. They were made by a famous Romanian sculptor named Constantin Brâncuși. Instead of making a bird that looks like a real animal, he wanted to show movement. You will not see any feathers or wings on these works. The body is long and thin, stretching upward. The head and beak are shaped like a slanted oval plane. This style helps the viewer feel the idea of a bird soaring through the sky.

Brâncuși spent twenty years creating these works in many different ways. He made the original version in 1923 using white marble. He also made nine versions out of polished bronze, which is a shiny metal. To make the bronze pieces, he first made a model out of plaster. He then gave this model and his special recipe for the metal to a founder. Once the metal piece arrived, Brâncuși did the finishing work himself. He used files and very fine emery to polish the surface by hand.

In 1926, these sculptures became part of a famous court battle in the United States. The works arrived in New York harbor on a steamship named Paris. Customs officials did not believe the tall, thin bronze piece was actually art. They thought it was just a manufactured metal object. Because of this, they tried to charge a 40% tax on the price. This was a big problem for the artist and the owner, Edward Steichen. They believed the sculpture deserved to be called art without extra fees.

Many people went to court to argue about what art really is. Some experts even said that if this was art, they would become bricklayers instead! They argued that the work left too much to the imagination. However, six important art experts testified that the work was indeed art. They explained that Brâncuși was making abstract art, which does not look like real objects. In November 1928, the judges finally agreed with the artist. They ruled that the piece was beautiful, symmetrical, and a true work of art.

Today, you can find these sculptures in many famous museums around the world. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has the most famous marble version. There are bronze versions in the Museum of Modern Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You can also see them in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Even music and poetry have been inspired by these shapes. A composer named Timothy A. Corpus wrote music based on the series. The poet Muriel Rukeyser also wrote about the bird in her poems.

The "Bird in Space" series consists of several sculptures created by the Romanian artist Constantin Brâncuși. These works are famous because they focus on the concept of flight rather than the physical appearance of a bird. You will not find feathers, wings, or claws on these pieces. Instead, the sculptures feature an elongated body that stretches upward. The head and beak are reduced to a slanted oval plane. This style allows the viewer to experience the sensation of movement and soaring through the air.

Brâncuși spent approximately 20 years developing this series using various materials. The original work was created in 1923 using marble. He eventually produced seven marble versions and nine bronze casts in total. To create the bronze pieces, Brâncuși followed a very specific and careful process. He first made a model out of plaster to guide the creation. He then gave this model and his specific formula for a bronze alloy to a founder. Once the roughcast was delivered, Brâncuși performed all the finishing work by hand. He used files and very fine emery to polish the metal until it was smooth. He insisted on doing this himself to ensure the work met his personal standards.

Because there are many versions, these sculptures can be found in various famous museums globally. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City holds the most well-known marble version. Two bronze casts from 1928 and approximately 1941 are located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Philadelphia Museum of Art houses both a bronze version from 1924 and a marble version from 1923–1924. In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art displays a marble version and a bronze version from 1927. Other pieces reside in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Norton Simon Museum in California. International locations include the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

In 1926, the series became the center of a major legal battle in the United States. The sculptures arrived at New York harbor on the steamship Paris. At that time, works of art were not subject to customs duties. However, customs officials refused to classify the tall, thin bronze piece as art. They instead labeled it a manufactured metal object. This classification meant the owners had to pay a 40% tariff on the sale price. This tax amounted to about $230, which is worth over $3,130 in 2016 U.S. dollars. The artist and the owner, Edward Steichen, were very upset by this decision.

The legal dispute, known as Brâncuși v. United States, questioned the very definition of art. Under the 1922 Tariff Act, a sculpture had to be an original work of art with no practical purpose to be duty-free. The government argued the piece was not art because it did not look like a real bird. One appraiser, F. J. H. Kracke, noted that some people in the art world were skeptical. One expert even joked that if such a shape was art, he would become a bricklayer. The prosecution used the 1916 case United States v. Olivotti to argue that sculptures must represent natural objects in true proportions. This case suggested that Brâncuși's work failed to meet the legal standard for art.

To defend the work, six major art figures testified in court. These experts included Jacob Epstein and Edward Steichen. They argued that Brâncuși was moving toward abstract art. They explained that the artist's goal was to achieve a specific feeling of movement. They emphasized that the "birdness" of the object was not the most important part. The defense also pointed out that every piece of metal used was unique, which proved the work's originality. In November 1928, Judges Young and Waite ruled in favor of the artist. They decided the sculpture was beautiful, symmetrical, and ornamental. This was the first time a court accepted that abstract, non-representational sculpture could be considered art.

The legacy of "Bird in Space" extends far beyond the courtroom. The sculptures have inspired other forms of creative expression. For example, the composer Timothy A. Corpus wrote a classical music piece inspired by the series. This work premiered at the 2012 Open House Chicago festival. The poet Muriel Rukeyser also referenced the "Bird" in her 1939 poem, "Reading time." She used the sculpture to discuss the human tendency to fear new and non-utilitarian art. The series remains a significant milestone in the history of modern sculpture and legal definitions of creativity. In 2005, one of the works sold for $25.8 million, setting a record for a sculpture at auction at that time.