Julio González (1876-1942)
Tête en profondeur

Between 1930 and 1932, González created a series of abstract heads made from iron. This particular piece belongs to a group of sculptures that were produced by cutting up, bending, curving and welding sheets of metal. In a return to the Cubist approach of constructing simplified forms that refuse to comply with traditional representations of mass and volume, the appearance of depth in this head is provided by a series of layers of metal interspersed with empty spaces.

The bent central layer accentuates the head’s disjointedness, while the brown patina applied to the metal is suggestive of the enigmatic beauty of tribal sculptures.

Julio González, Tête en profondeur, 1930
Iron (forged and welded), with applied patina
26 x 20 x 17 cm
Inventory no. AM 2003-408, national treasure acquired thanks to a donation from Pernod Ricard, 2003
Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris
© Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Philippe Migeat/Dist. RMN-GP