Portrait of Nancy Cunard (also called Sophisticated Young Lady)

This unconventional portrait captures the erect posture, prominent forehead, and receding chin of the subject in a simplified manner that also conveys her elegance. The artist met Nancy Cunard, a shipping heiress, in Paris. She was a jazz lover and poet, the owner/publisher of Hours Press, and an outspoken political activist fighting racism and, later, fascism.

Constantin Brancusi studied sculpture in Bucharest and Munich before moving to Paris. There he studied with sculptor Auguste Rodin. From the beginning, Brancusi paid careful attention to the bases of his sculptures, making them essential components of the works themselves.