Torso of a Young Man

1910

Raymond Duchamp-Villon

Associated Names
Raymond Duchamp-Villon

Sculptor, French, 1876 - 1918

The sculpture depicts a male figure in a lunging position, with one leg in front of the other and his torso leaning forward. The man has both arms cut off just below the shoulders and legs cut off just below the knees, with the limbs ending in flat planes. His facial features are stylized, with a sharp, angular nose, curving brows with no visible eyes below them, and thin lips in a neutral expression. The man is nude, but his chest has no visible detail. He has short, textured hair, and the entire surface of the sculpture has some faint texture, similar to hammered metal. The sculpture is made of a reflective black material.

Media Options

Skip thumbnail navigation
Back to thumbnail navigation
This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 55.2 x 33.9 x 40.2 cm (21 3/4 x 13 3/8 x 15 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1971.66.12

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Jacques Villon; (Galerie Louis Carré, Paris), in 1963;[1] (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); purchased 1967 by Mr. [d. 1970] and Mrs. Lester Francis Avnet, Great Neck, Long Island, New York; his estate; purchased 19 October 1971 by NGA.
[1] The sculpture was cast post-humously by the artist's brother, Jacques Villon. It was put up for sale by Louis Carré, whose name is inscribed on the inside leg of the sculpture as "Louis Carré. Editeur".

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1974

  • Recent Acquisitions and Promised Gifts: Sculpture, Drawings, Prints, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1974, no. IX, repro.

1981

  • Rodin Rediscovered, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1981-1982, no. 353.

Bibliography

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 79, repro.

Inscriptions

outside of proper left leg: (underlined) Duchamp Villon / 4/8; outside of proper right leg: .Georges Rudier. / .Fondeur.Paris.; inside of proper rig ht leg: Louis Carre. Editeur.

Markings

FM: Georges Rudier

Wikidata ID

Q63854791

You may be interested in

Loading Results