Jacob Epstein (American-British, 1880-1959), Reclining Nude Sketch, signed bottom left, mounted and framed. Measurements 43 x 55 cm (i), frame 62 x 72 cm

Label verso: Previously sold at Gorringes, 2013

Jacob Epstein was a pioneer of modern sculpture and one of the most influential and controversial artists of the modern era, with his typically avant-garde and rough-hewn realist sculpture and artworks inspiring the next generation of sculptors such as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Epstein's work was considered extremely controversial for its time, with his explicit and erotically charged works moving away from the classical conventions of sculptural aesthetics which dominated sculptural and artistic norms of the day. He actively challenged the ideas of what is appropriate public art, with many of his works being censored and openly criticised as inappropriate and shocking for Edwardian society.