Elie Nadelman

American, born Poland, 1882-1946

Girl with Poodle

Elie Nadelman (American, born Poland, 1882–1946). Girl with Poodle, ca. 1931–35. Glazed polychromed ceramic,7 1/4 x 5 3/4 x 4 inches (18.4 x 14.6 x 10.2 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; The Martha Jackson Collection at the Albright Knox Art Gallery, 1974 (1974:8.24). © Estate of Elie Nadelman.

Public Domain

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Girl with Poodle, ca. 1931-1935

Artwork Details

Materials

glazed polychromed ceramic

Measurements

overall: 7 1/4 x 5 3/4 x 4 inches (18.41 x 14.6 x 10.16 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

The Martha Jackson Collection at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, 1974

Accession ID

1974:8.24

Following the 1929 stock market crash, Elie Nadelman lost his fortune and customer base. Since he could no longer afford to make large-scale marble sculptures, Nadelman began creating small decorative figures in ceramic and papier-mâché. Although conceived out of necessity, such works marked a dramatic change in the artist’s practice, driving him to be more improvisational. The playful subject of Girl with Poodle—a young woman with her pet dog in her lap—was inspired by a summer the artist spent in Ostend, Belgium. His landlady there had a poodle, and the dog appears in numerous drawings from this period. Here, she and her faithful companion are rendered in graceful, flowing curved forms and a delicate color palette. According to Nadelman, “It is form itself, not semblance to nature, which gives us pleasure in a work of art.”

Label from Menagerie: Animals on View, March 11–June 4, 2017

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