It is a source of great satisfaction to address two important positions in modern and contemporary sculpture in a single show, thus tracing an arc from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the present one. With Brancusi as a pioneer and Serra as a prime figure in contemporary scutpture, two artists and groups of works meet which on first sight could not appear more different. This not only constitutes the attractiveness of the project but provides a concrete answer to the question of what scutpture is and how it relates dynamically to the surrounding space.

The starting point for this book is the work of Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), as expressed in his reduction of volume to tease out formal essence. Some thirty-five exemplary works by Brancusi, among them The Kiss and the Column of the Infinite,thus initiate a line of inquiry into the essence and the possibilities of sculpture, the discussion of which continues with a selection of works from different periods by Richard Serra (born 1939), whose art opens up new "ways of seeing" to his viewers.The resulting juxtaposition of Brancusi's sensuous modeling of marble, bronze, wood, and plaster with Serra's minimalist steel sculptures sets in motion a fascinating dialogue. The essays by Friedrich Teja Bach, Alfred Pacquement, Oliver Wick, and others conspire with the concentrated selection of works to underscore not only the contrasts between these two pioneering artists, but also their common ground, enabling the reader to experience anew the universal power of sculpture.

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Sam Keller and Oliver Wick

INTRODUCTION: "MAYBE IT SMELLED LIKE ART" Oliver Wick

BRANCUSI AND SERRA - SERRA AND BRANCUSI Friedrich Teja Bach

THE STUDIO AS A WORK Alfred Pacquement

MEMORIES OF BRANCUSI Jacqueline Matisse Monnier

WORKS

RICHARD SERRA: FERNANDO PESSOA Raphael Bouvier

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: LE BAISER Marielle Tabart

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: L'ENFANTAU MONDE AND OTHER WOODEN SCULPTURES Jonathan Wood

RICHARD SERRA: PROCESS PIECES Denise Ellenberger

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: TETES D'ENFANT Marielle Tabart

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: LES MUSES Marielle Tabart

RICHARD SERRA: CURVED PIECES Raphael Bouvier

RICHARD SERRA: ELEVATIONS Michelle White

RICHARD SERRA: RECENT WORKS ON PAPER Michelle White

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: LA NEGRESSE Alexandra Parigoris

RICHARD SERRA: DELINEATOR Denise Ellenberger

RICHARD SERRA: LEAD PROPS Denise Ellenberger

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: PRINCESSE X AND MADEMOISELLE POGANY Alexandra Parigoris

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: TORSES DE JEUNE FILLE Ileana Parvu

RICHARD SERRA: EARLY STEEL INSTALLATIONS Raphael Bouvier

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: LES OISEAUX DANS L'ESPACE Ileana Parvu

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: COLONNE SANS FIN Marielle Tabart

BIOGRAPHIES

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSl

RICHARD SERRA

CATALOGUES OF WORKS EXHIBITED

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSl

RICHARD SERRA