The story behind this piece is as unique as the sculpture itself.
CUBIST 1912 ARCHIPENKO SCULPTURE
This sculpture's provenance is exceptional and deeply intertwined with my family's history.
Originating as a gift from Archipenko to my grandmother during her youthful romance with him in Paris, 1912, it symbolizes more than artistic expression—it is a testament to a poignant chapter of their lives. My grandmother, once a muse to Archipenko, was disowned by her family due to this relationship, moving to the United States with this significant piece. It has been a familial treasure ever since, safeguarded through generations, and I grew up admiring it within the walls of my grandmother’s home.
PROVENANCE
I inherited this sculpture from my father, Myron Feld, who inherited it from his mother, Helen Taub Abravanel Feld. Her father was an Abravanel. The name translated from Hebrew means “father of the teacher of the Lord.” He was descended from Don Issac Abravanel, finance minister to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Don Issac traced his lineage to King David. Her mother was a Goldschmidt of the Rothschild-Goldschmidt banking family.
At the age of eighteen, while staying with the Goldschmidt family in Berlin and attending the University there, she traveled with the family to Paris and posed for the sculpture.
When my grandmother traveled to the United States, she brought the sculpture with her. As a child, I remember it being prominently displayed in her home. At her death, my father, her eldest son, inherited it. I inherited it from him in 1986.
FAMILY PORTRAITS
COAT OF ARMS
Helen Taub Abravanel Feld
Miriam Rothschild-Goldschmidt
& Family
Head Rabbi Abravanel
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART
