Artwork Page for Bacchanale

Details / Information for Bacchanale

Bacchanale

1917
sculptor

Malvina Hoffman

(American, 1887–1966)
Culture
America
Medium
bronze, copper, brass
Measurements
without base: 172.7 x 137.2 cm (68 x 54 in.)
Weight: approx. 2000 lbs
Credit Line
In memory of Julia K. Dalton by her nephews, George S. Kendrick and Harry D. Kendrick 1943.384
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
ET East Terrace
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Did You Know?

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.

Description

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.
An outdoor bronze statue depicts a nude man and woman, both leaning forward and bending their right legs off the ground, as if in mid-run. The man wraps his arm around the woman's waist and she reaches her arm over to touch his leg. They each hold the edge of a veil that billows behind them. Both smiling, they turn their heads toward each other.

Bacchanale

1917

Malvina Hoffman

(American, 1887–1966)
America

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