The Alexander Archipenko Statues

In 1950-1951, Ukrainian born sculptor Alexander Archipenko served as the University of Kansas City's Artist in Residence. He taught courses and created two steel figures as a gift to adorn the campus. He titled them simply, "Unnamed Iron Figures" but they are popularly known as the Archipenko Statues. The university originally placed them in 1951 at the entrance to the quad off of Rockhill but moved them to their current location in 2000 to increase their visibility.

Alexander Archipenko was born in Kyiv in 1887 and attended the Kyiv Academy of Art. Early in his career he moved to Paris and there became one of the first sculptors to apply the theories and ascetics of Cubism to sculpture. He later moved to the United States, where he began a decades long career as a sculptor and educator.

In the spring of 1950, the Nelson Atkins Museum hosted an exhibition of Archipenko's work. The University of Kansas City invited him to speak and extended an offer to become an Artist in Residence for the 1950-1951 school year. Archipenko taught formal courses and gave demonstrations throughout the year. He also created two freestanding steel structures as a gift for the university. The "Unnamed Iron Figures" as Archipenko dubbed them, have a purely decorative function. Many of the students called them "the bombs" because their shape reminded them of World War 2 era bombs. However, they are commonly known simply as the Archipenko Statues.

Archipenko experimented with light and shadow in his work. The fins on the 14' tall pieces are intended to create differences in shadow as the sun travels through the sky each day so that the pieces look different each time you see them. The artist's cubist origins can be seen in the figures at the top of the figures, which look like elements common in cubist paintings. Though the figures are identical, they are turned in different positions and appear to be very different at first look.

The university erected the Archipenko Statues at the original main entrance to the campus off of Rockhill. Here they sat for nearly 50 years. However, over time that became a seldom used back entrance. Therefore, the statues were moved to their current location in 2000 so that they could be appreciated by all.

Decker, Mary Bell. Decker, Clarence Raymond. A Place of Light: The Story of a University Presidency. New York, NY. Hermitage Press, 1954.