Naum Gabo

Naum Gabo, born Naum Neemia Pevsner in Bryansk, Russia, in 1890, was a pioneering sculptor and one of the foremost figures of Constructivism, a movement that sought to align art with the principles of modern science, technology, and engineering. After studying medicine and natural sciences in Munich, Gabo was profoundly influenced by encounters with the avant-garde movements sweeping Europe, including Cubism and Futurism. He adopted the name Gabo to distinguish himself from his brother, the artist Antoine Pevsner, and began producing sculptures that broke radically from traditional form. His early works, such as the 'Constructed Head' series (1915–16), replaced mass and solidity with open, transparent structures that defined space rather than displaced it, establishing principles he would develop throughout his career.