
Elie Nadelman (1882-1946) was a Polish-American sculptor whose smooth, simplified figures bridged European modernism and American folk art. Born in Warsaw, he studied in Kraków and Munich before moving to Paris, where his drawings of abstract curving forms anticipated Cubism. He immigrated to New York in 1914 and became a favorite of high society.
Nadelman's elegant, gently humorous figures of circus performers, society ladies, and dancers combine classical poise with Art Deco stylization. His Man in the Open Air and Woman at the Piano are icons of early 20th-century American sculpture. He and his wife amassed a major folk art collection, much of which was donated to the New-York Historical Society.
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