Gaudier-Brzeska, Henri, << goh dyay bur ZEHS kuh, ahn ree >> (1891-1915), was a French-born sculptor and artist. He was one of the first sculptors to develop an abstract style. Gaudier-Brzeska spent the last years of his short life in England, where he influenced the development of modern art in that country.
Gaudier-Brzeska was born Henri Gaudier on Oct. 4, 1891, in St. Jean-de-Braye, near Orleans. He studied in Orleans and Paris. He took the second part of his surname from his companion Sophie Brzeska, whom he met in 1910. He took up sculpture that year. The following year, he and his companion moved to London, where the American-born poet Ezra Pound became his patron. Through the influence of the English writer and painter Wyndham Lewis, Gaudier-Brzeska became involved in the Vorticist movement. The Vorticists were concerned with emphasizing the energy and dynamic quality of modern life, especially as expressed through the machine. Gaudier-Brzeska’s Red Stone Dancer (1913) and Wrestlers (1914) represent his radically simplified and highly personal style. The two works rank among his most celebrated sculptures. His drawings, published in Vorticist manifestoes, showed that he was also an accomplished draftsman.
In 1914, at the start of World War I, Gaudier-Brzeska enlisted in the French army. He was killed in action on June 5, 1915, at the age of 23. Many people believe that his early death cut short a career of genius.
