Joseph Csaky (Hungarian, 1888-1971)
Tête Cubiste, 1920 (bronze) and Tête Cubiste, (plaster).

signed, numbered and inscribed 'Csaky 1/8 L. Thiènot Foundeur, Paris' (on the base of the reverse)
posthumous edition, conceived in 1920 and cast in 1992 by Thiènot foundery, Paris, auithorised by Galerie Vallois, Paris and commissioned by Galerie Dépôt 15, Paris and Galerie Jacques de Vos, Paris
bronze
33 cm. (13 in.) (height)

Accompanied with this lot is a plaster, plâtre de fonderie d'après la pierre originale Tête Cubiste, circa 1920. It is believed this is the plaster used by a foundry to make a bronze version of this subject.
34 cm. (13 2/5 in.) (height)

ARR
(2)

Provenance (bronze):
Edition Galerie Vallois
Galerie Jacques de Vos, Paris
Private Collection, France
Galerie & Galerie bis, Cotignac, where purchased by the present owner

Provenance (plaster):
Private Collection, France
Galerie & Galerie bis, Cotignac, where purchased by the present owner

Literature (bronze):
Félix Marcilhac, Joseph Csaky du cubisme historique à la figuration réaliste, catalogue raisonné de l'Oeuvre sculpté, Les éditions de l’Amateur, Paris, 2007,ref 1920-FM 27/c p.319 (another cast illustrated)
Donald Karshan, Csaky, exh. cat., Galerie Dépôt 15, Paris, 1973, p. 85 (another cast)
Galerie René Reichard, Frankfurt, Joseph Csaky, exh. cat., 1988, p. 33 (another cast)
Edith Balas, Joseph Csaky A Pioneer of Modern Sculpture, 1998 fig.42 rep. p71 (this bronze or another bronze)

Literature (plaster):
Félix Marcilhac, Joseph Csaky du cubisme historique à la figuration réaliste, catalogue raisonné de l'Oeuvre sculpté, Les éditions de l’Amateur, Paris, 2007,ref 1920-FM 27/b p.319 (another example of a plâtre de fonderie d'après la pierre originale)

Exhibited (Bronze):
Galerie Dépôt 15, Paris Csaky, exh. cat., 1973(another cast)
Musée Bourdelle, ParisTrois sculpteurs des années 30, Gargallo Csaky Lambert-Rucki, June - September 1977 (original work under no.20)
Galerie René Reichard, Frankfurt, Joseph Csaky, exh. cat., 1988 (another cast)
Musée de Pointoise, Sculptures du XX siècele Pointoise, 1985 no.26 (another cast)

Please note there is a certificate from Jacques de Vos from the 26th May 1998 for the bronze that accompanies the lot.

Joseph Csáky was a pioneering Hungarian-born sculptor closely associated with the Cubist movement in early 20th-century Paris. After moving to France in 1908, he became immersed in the avant-garde art scene, drawing influence from artists like Picasso and Duchamp. Csáky was one of the first sculptors to apply Cubist principles to three-dimensional form, breaking away from classical traditions to explore geometric abstraction and fragmented figures. His work was featured in influential exhibitions such as the 1912 Salon d'Automne and the 1913 Salon des Indépendants, helping to shape modernist sculpture. Though his style evolved over time, incorporating Art Deco and later more figurative elements, Csáky remained committed to innovation throughout his career, securing his place as a key figure in modern sculpture.

Csáky’s Tête Cubiste is not a single work but a series of sculptural explorations that span from the early 1910s through the 1920s, marking a sustained investigation into the Cubist interpretation of the human head. These works exemplify Csáky’s pioneering role in translating Cubist principles fragmentation, simultaneity, and geometric abstraction into three-dimensional form. Each iteration of Tête Cubiste deconstructs the human face into intersecting planes and faceted volumes, rejecting anatomical realism in favour of a constructed, architectural presence. While the earliest examples, such as the lost 1913–14 plaster version, were starkly angular and radical, the later versions from around 1920 show a subtle shift toward clarity and compositional balance, reflecting postwar artistic movements like Crystal Cubism and Purism. Across the series, Csáky treats the head not as a portrait but as an idealised, abstract structure, reimagined through the lens of modernity. These heads executed in plaster, bronze, and stone—demonstrate his commitment to formal innovation and his belief in sculpture as an independent, constructive art form. As a group, the Têtes Cubistes stand as a testament to Csáky’s central role in the development of modern sculpture and the enduring appeal of Cubist abstraction.

In 1920 Csáky produced a variant of his long‑running Cubist head motif Tête Cubiste, which is this lot. Though conceived by Csáky in 1920. This posthumous bronze was created in 1992 by Thiènot foundery, under the instruction of Galerie Vallois. The others from the editions were all cast by the Blanchet Foundry. This bronnze piece was commissioned by Dépôt 15 and Galerie Jacques de Vos, and is accompanied with the original certificated from Jacques de Vos.

Joseph Csáky’s use of plaster as a medium was central to his sculptural process, especially during the formative years of his Cubist period. Plaster allowed Csáky to experiment freely with form, texture, and structure often serving as the original modeling material from which later bronzes or stone works were cast or carved. His plaster works are some of the purest expressions of his Cubist aesthetic, unencumbered by the finish or permanence of more traditional materials. Unlike bronze, plaster did not require the same level of financial investment or infrastructure to work with, which made it ideal for avant-garde artists testing radical new ideas. Csáky's plaster works were often exhibited as finished pieces in major Paris salons such as the Salon d’Automne and Salon des Indépendants, where they challenged the boundaries of traditional sculpture.

Unfortunately, many of Csáky’s plaster originals have been lost or destroyed, leaving only photographs or later casts to testify to their existence. The fragility and impermanence of plaster as a material make these early sculptures particularly rare and historically significant. Surviving examples, when found, offer vital insight into Csáky’s evolving formal language and the experimental energy of early 20th-century modernism. Plaster sculptures such a this lot were used in the casting process and essential to Csáky’s sculptural practice, serving as the intermediate form between his initial concept and the final material typically bronze or stone. In traditional sculpture methods, including those used by Csáky, the plaster model is often the final working version from which moulds are made to produce bronze casts.

It is likely the plaster mould accompanying this lot is posthumous and was used as part of the casting process by a foundry..