America / 1917
Bacchanale
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Bacchanale as sculpture (America · 1917).
A second version of this life-size sculpture was installed in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, where it was destroyed during the Second World War.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze, copper, brass and credits Malvina Hoffman (American, 1887–1966).
The museum's collection notes: While visiting London, sculptor Malvina Hoffman was electrified by a dance performance featuring Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Mordkin, two highly acclaimed Russian ballet stars. Together the dancers presented a bacchanale, a work inspired by the legendary followers of Bacchus, the ancient Roman god of wine. In this uninhibited and erotically charged piece, both dancers cavorted on stage, their movements accented by grasped veils of gauze. Hoffman’s Bacchanale is her vibrant interpretation of the performance, capturing a fleeting moment in permanent form.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtBacchanaleOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.