Modernist Sculpture, Man On A Unicycle

Signed CH.GROSS on the plinth with the artist's "fox stamp" below, and on the bottom of the base, as well. A beautifully carved modernist wood sculpture by well known and highly collectible New York artist, Chaim Gross (1904-1991). It is one of ten small versions of a 29" sculpture in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The sculpture is made of Lignum Vitae wood. The meaning of LIGNUM VITAE is the very hard heavy wood of any of several tropical American guaiacums. Guaiacum is of the caltrop family of tropical American evergreen trees and shrubs. Sometimes called guayacan or guaiacum, it is also known in parts of Europe as Pockholz or Pokhout. Due to its extreme hardness, the wood of such a tree is often used for making pulley blocks, mallet heads, bearings, etc. Provenance: Schrick private collection, Connecticut, USA. Chaim Gross (American, 1904-1991) was an Austrian born American sculptor. He was born in the then Austro-Hungarian village...

#194/195 bronze copyright 1999 Fine Art Sales Commemorative Edition. Robert St. Croix’s career as an artist began in the early 1970’s in San Francisco, where he gained a reputation f...