Gabo, Naum

orig. Naum Pevsner

(born Aug. 5, 1890, Bryansk, Russia—died Aug. 23, 1977, Waterbury, Conn., U.S.) Russian-born U.S. sculptor. He studied at the University of Munich, and in 1913 he was introduced to avant-garde art in Paris by his brother, Antoine Pevsner. In 1920 the brothers returned to Russia and issued the “Realist Manifesto,” setting forth the principles of European Constructivism. Gabo produced abstract works of such unorthodox materials as glass, plastic, and wire to achieve a sense of movement. After some years in Europe he settled in the U.S. in 1946 and taught at Harvard's architecture school. He received many awards and public commissions. A pioneer of the Constructivist movement, he was one of the earliest artists to experiment with kinetic sculpture.

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