Elegance

Heinz Warneke, Elegance, ca. 1927, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Julia Bretzman, 1972.171
Heinz Warneke, Elegance, ca. 1927, marble, 178 147 78 in. (43.121.019.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Julia Bretzman, 1972.171

Artwork Details

Title
Elegance
Date
ca. 1927
Dimensions
178 147 78 in. (43.121.019.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Julia Bretzman
Mediums
Mediums Description
marble
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — cat
Object Number
1972.171

Artwork Description

In Elegance, Heinz Warneke captures the proud nature of the domestic cat. The highly polished surface of the sculpture accentuates the solid yet graceful posture of the alert feline. The simple, abstract rendering is characteristic of the artist's direct carving technique, an attribute of much of his work produced in Paris between 1927 and 1932. The regal and stylized quality reflects Warneke's interest in ancient Egyptian sculpture, of which he commented, "It satisfies my desire for a brief strong statement—yet free from any coarseness of treatment. Each line and form is sensitively felt without the slightest loss of definiteness" (Heinz Warneke, quoted in Parnassus, February 1941).

Works by this artist (21 items)

Tidal Wave
Date1972
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
June Wayne, Tower of Babel A, from the series Fable Series, 1955, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Stone Circle Foundation, 1969.107
Tower of Babel A, from the series Fable Series
Date1955
lithograph on paper
Not on view
Escape II
Date1986
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
No Sun
Date1985
color lithograph on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Jesús Moroles, Lapstrake I, 1980, Georgia gray granite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alton and Emily Steiner, 2002.82
Lapstrake I
Date1980
Georgia gray granite
Not on view
John Safer, Chandelle, 1969, revised 2013, Lucite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2007.23
Chandelle
Date1969, revised 2013
Lucite
Not on view
Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Shell), early 1930s, mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, 1985.64.37
Untitled (Shell)
Dateearly 1930s
mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells
Not on view
Emery Blagdon, The Healing Machine, ca. 1955-1986, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and gift of Dan Dryden, friend of Emery Blagdon, the Kohler Foundation, Inc., and John E. and Douglas O. Robson, from the Margaret Z. Robson Collection, VR.2014.49.GRP
The Healing Machine
Dateca. 1955-1986
mixed media
On view