Baby asleep
Jacob Epstein
Life Story
Born in America, Epstein studied in New York before moving to Paris in 1902, and then to London in 1905, where he settled and became a British citizen. This exquisite bronze was the first sculpture in the collection ever to be acquired by Robert Sainsbury, and indeed the earliest known of Epstein’s sculptures.
Baby Asleep was modelled from life, the subject was the infant of a young model who came to Epstein’s Paris studio. For the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection, this serene object represents more than Robert’s first acquisition, but a number of significant relationships. In Paris, Epstein met Picasso and Modigliani, and some years later – by then equally acclaimed and vilified as the forerunner of the modern movement – Epstein championed the young Henry Moore. The pair shared an early commitment to the direct carving of material and a fascination with the ‘primitive’ collections of the British Museum.
—
Amanda Geitner, Director, East Anglia Art Fund
Provenance
Acquired by Robert and Lisa Sainsbury before 1932.
Donated to the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia in 1973 as part of the original gift.
On display
Title/Description: Baby asleep
Artist/Maker: Jacob Epstein
Born: 1902 - 1904
Object Type: Sculpture
Materials: Bronze
Measurements: h. 104 x w. 138 x d. 115 mm
Accession Number: 75
Historic Period: 20th century
Production Place: Britain, England, Europe
Credit Line: Donated by Robert and Lisa Sainsbury, 1973