Theseus and the Minotaur
Jacques Lipchitz (Lithuanian, 1891-1973)
Theseus and the Minotaur, 1942
Bronze
62-.2 x 74 x 39 cm. (24 1/2 x 29 1/8 x 15 3/8 in.)
Signed and numbered on base: J. Lipchitz 3/7
Provenance
Sold by the artist to Henry Pearlman, by June 1956; Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, by 1959.
Jacques Lipchitz with Theseus
Critical Perspective
Lipchitz sculpted Theseus and the Minotaur in New York. Later, Lipchitz explained that Theseus represents "all of us"—humankind fighting the forces of darkness. He remarked, "I realized that the monster is also part of Theseus, as though there were a Hitler in each of us whom we must destroy. Theseus is killing part of himself."