Sea Lion, ca. 1930

In Sea Lion, the artist focused on the elemental forms of the creature’s body, eliminating detail in order to capture the spiritual essence of the animal. The sculpture’s smooth curves and voluptuous surface are markedly different from the massive, expressionist works that Nakian began producing in the 1940s, when he became involved with the Abstract Expressionist movement through his friend Arshile Gorky. The lightweight, modern material of aluminum endows the sea lion with a lissome quality, while the grey color evokes a sense of its coastal habitat. Deftly modeled, the undulating lines of the animal’s form ultimately convey its noble charm.

This sculpture was originally owned by Erhard Weyhe, the founder and proprietor of the Weyhe Book Store and Gallery.  A center of modernist activity, the shop was frequented by many prominent American artists, including Rockwell Kent, Gaston Lachaise, John Sloan and Reginald Marsh, and was an avid supporter of print-making in the 1920s and 30s.

A related work titled Seal, 1930 (bronze, 17 ¼ in. high) is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art; another early work, Young Calf, 1929 (pink marble, 15 in. high) is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.