Room 1

In the first room, set up in the large studio which charmed Zadkine so much and which convinced him to move to the Rue d'Assas, wood and stone sculptures from the years 1910-1920 are presented. These two distinct groups echo each other. The oldest works, composed entirely of curves and counter-curves, are inspired by a Slavic vocabulary of form which speaks of the origins of their creator. The construction in right angled planes of those of the 1920s, reminiscent of their contemporaries by Modigliani, to whom Zadkine was close - speaks of his taste for primitivism. Common to all is a propensity to make use of the imperfections in the material and turn them into rich forms. All the wood and stone sculptures assembled in this first room were produced by the direct carving method which remained Zadkine's preferred approach and sets the tone for the exhibition route.