L'Hydre
Artist
Germaine Richier
(Frankrike, 1904 - 1959)
Alternate Title
- Hydran
- The Hydra
Date1954
MediumBronze
Dimensions78 x 34 x 35 cm
Classification
Countries
Credit LineInköp 1955
Object NumberNMSK 1698
The artwork is not on display
About the artworkIn Greek mythology, the Hydra was an aquatic monster with at least eight heads, of which the middle one was immortal. Its breath was poisonous and killed everything around it. Germaine Richier’s more docile Hydra has only four heads. Richier challenged established contemporary norms for sculpture. The appearance and essence of her figures are often based on mythological hybrids of man and beast, combining terror and joy of life. After the Second World War, the physical deformities of her sculptures were emphasised, expressing a greater sense of anxiety. Her large female figures look increasingly like insects – grasshoppers, spiders or ants. Other figures are more ominous, suggesting brutal forces of nature.
Signatures, inscriptions and marks
Signerad i fotplattans högra bakkant: "G.Richier", Gjutarmärke i fotplattans vänstra bakkant: "Suisse fondeur Paris"
Selected exhibition history
Önskemuseet (1963-1964)
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Samlingsutställning 2019-2022 (den 1 februari 2019 - den 27 augusti 2023)
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Efterkrigstid till 1970-tal
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Samlingsutställning 2004 - 2011 - I vår tid (2004 - 2011)
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
The Moderna Museet exhibition catalogues
Önskemuseet : the museum of our wishes : notre musée tel qu´il devrait être : museum unserer wünsche : [utställning i Moderna Museet, Stockholm : 26 december 1963 - 16 februari 1964] / ordnad av Moderna Museets Vänner