From Library Journal
Putze (Victoria & Albert Museum) presents a substantial, detailed, yet accessible overview of the career of Jacques Lipchitz (1891-1973). Born in Russia, the Jewish sculptor emigrated to Paris in 1909, where he established his fame, taking Cubism into three dimensions. After escaping to the United States in 1941, the continued his successful career, with public commissions and, after the war, worldwide recognition. For so small a book the text is substantial and thoughtful, its arguments closely linked to the well-chosen illustrations. Although about a third of the book is devoted to a gift of 40 sculptures to London's Courtauld Gallery in 2002, Ptz writes with great empathy and clarity, and her book can serve as a first-rate introduction and overview of Lipchitz's work and his place in 20th-century sculpture. With 80 color images as well as archival photographs, this volume is highly recommended for all audiences. Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Lib.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Jacques Lipchitz (1891-1973) is recognized as the most significant Cubist sculptor of the twentieth century. While other contemporaries such as Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Joszef Csaky and Henri Laurens for a time explored ideas related to Cubism, it was Lipchitz who embraced the movement's language and consistently translated its ideologies into sculptural forms." "A Jewish immigrant, Lipchitz arrived in Paris in 1909. There he battled against rampant prejudice and the volatile art world to establish himself as one of the capital's most succesful and prominent avant garde artists. His relationship with Picasso was a ferment of mutual admiration, curiosity and influence - many of Lipchitz's motifs derived from Picasso's canvases, while Picasso respected Lipchitz's views on his own sculpture." The threat of Hitler's troops prompted Lipchitz to move to America in 1941, where he stayed until his death in 1973. Taking nothing but one or two maquettes, Lipchitz successfully rebuilt his career and became recognized as the grand old man of Cubism and a pioneer in a new cross-cultural view of art. He was also considered a master at setting up a dialogue between outdoor monumental sculpture and its surrounding environment or architecture.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal