Leonard Baskin, 
American 1922–2000 - 
Prometheus, c.1948; 
carved oak, H49 x W46 x D44 cm 
Provenance: 

Leonard Baskin, 
American 1922–2000 - 

Prometheus, c.1948; 

carved oak, H49 x W46 x D44 cm 

Provenance: 
The Bertram N. Linder and Mary Ellen Linder Marital Trust, New York; 
Bonhams, New York, Modern and Contemporary Art, New York, 9th November 2010, lot 122; 
Pyms Gallery, London, purchased from the above 

Literature: 
Irma B. Jaffe, 'The Sculpture of Leonard Baskin', The Viking Press, New York, 1980, p.210, illus. p.28; 
'New Foundations', vol.2, no.1, Fall 1948 (according to Irma B. Jaffe, 1980 - this edition included a number of photos of Baskin's early work) 

Note: 
this early masterpiece by the artist was made while he was studying at the New School in New York, where he had returned following the Second World War and his experiences serving with the Armed Guards. ‘Prometheus’ is a brilliant early example of Baskin’s ability to grapple with a classical myth with originality; his Prometheus a muscular worker, ready to steal the fire of creativity from the oppressive gods. The work is a summation of his aesthetic and political principles at this early stage in his career, and he would return to such themes of individuality and defiance, worked through narrative Classical and Old Testament narratives throughout his life. 

Prometheus defied the Olympian gods in Ancient Greek mythology by stealing fire and giving it to humanity in the form of knowledge and creativity. Baskin saw in this myth a sense of the role of the artist to defy and inspire, particularly relevant aesthetically at this point in his career in his choice to work in a figurative style, as opposed to Abstract Expressionism. Baskin would revisit the theme in illustrations for the poetry collection 'Prometheus on His Crag' by Ted Hughes and in a woodcut of 1950 now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as later bronzes. 

Baskins works is highly indicative of the Post-War period, sharing an intensity of vision with figures such as Elisabeth Frink, Germaine Richier and Alberto Giacometti. Like Frink, Baskin focused almost entirely on the male figure, seeking a visual language that spoke to an everyday experience of life and death, demonstrated most fully in his ‘Dead Man’ series, first started in the 1950s. Baskin retained a defiantly figurative language throughout his sculpture and works on paper, continuing the legacy of Käthe Kollwitz in his choice to work across mediums in an attempt to engage with an audience outside of the artistic elite. 

Works by the artist are in major museum across the USA, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, MoMA, New York and the Detroit Institute of Arts. In the UK works are held by the British Museum, the V&A and the Tate.