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Kai Nielsen Busts

Danish, 1882-1924

Kai Nielsen was Denmark's leading figurative sculptor in the first decades of the 20th century. Nielsen was fascinated with nude human figures relating to sea animals such as dolphins and returned to this subject again and again throughout his career. Nielsen was born in Copenhagen into an artistic family. Both of his parents were actors, Nielsen's father, Martinus Nielsen, was the director of Dagmar Theater and his mother, Oda Nielsen, was one of the most celebrated actresses of her time, both at the Royal Danish Theater and at the Dagmar Teatret. Nielsen is also known for his collaborations with Disney for whom he contributed many story sketches and illustrations, not least for Fantasia.

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Creator: Kai Nielsen
Leda and the Swan Bronze Figurine by Danish Kai Nielsen made at L. Rasmussen
By Kai Nielsen
Located in Silkeborg, Silkeborg
Leda with the Swan bronze figurine by Danish artist and sculptor Kai Nielsen (1882-1924). The figurine has model no. 42 and is made circa 1940s or 1950s by bronze foundry L. Rasmusse...
Category

1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Bronze

Related Items
"Drunken Youth, " Male Nude Sculpture with Dark, Rich Glazes by Kai Nielsen
By Kai Nielsen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This sensuous ceramic piece depicts a beautifully sculpted nude figure embracing an exaggerated grape cluster, sculpted by Kai Nielsen for Bing & Grondahl in Copenhagen. While all examples of this piece are rare, the glazes here are extremely unusual, emphasizing a dark ebony color contrasting with a rich purple for the grapes. Officially noted as a "drunken young man," this piece was one of a series depicting wine-lovers issued in 1912, which also included a Bacchus on a donkey, a satyr boy with grapes, and a satyr paired with a woman. Nielsen was a noted sculptor in Denmark, active in the early 20th century, who was heavily influenced by Rodin and Maillol and dealt often with mythological subjects. His bronzes and ceramic pieces have been auctioned by dealers in Copenhagen...
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1910s Danish Belle Époque Vintage Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Porcelain

Rare Pair of Wood and Bronze Swan Figurines by Wildwood, Mid Century Modern
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage pair of crane figurines from Wildwood Imports has detailed carved wooden bodies and sculptural bronze heads and necks. The swans are signed on the bottoms with 2 original st...
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20th Century Korean Mid-Century Modern Kai Nielsen Busts

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Gabriel Beauvais Rare Art Deco Terracotta Sculpture Leda and the Swan, 1920
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
Leda and the Swan Sculpture by Gabriel Beauvais, France, 1920s. This striking and rare sculpture, titled Leda and the Swan, was created by the French artist Gabriel Beauvais in the 1...
Category

1920s French Art Deco Vintage Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Terracotta

Charles LEMANCEAU Ceramic Leda the Swan Sculpture, 1920
By Charles Lemanceau
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
French Art Deco Leda the Swan ceramic sculpture by Charles LEMANCEAU at Sainte-Radegonde, France, 1920s. Leda the swan. Illustrated in the Sainte-Radegonde catalogue, pag...
Category

1920s French Art Deco Vintage Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Ceramic

Charles LEMANCEAU Ceramic Leda 
the Swan Sculpture, 1920
Charles LEMANCEAU Ceramic Leda 
the Swan Sculpture, 1920
$2,500
H 13.39 in W 22.84 in D 5.52 in
Antique Italian Alabaster Sculpture of Leda the Swan
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A mid-late 19th century antique Italian alabaster sculpture depicting Leda and the Swan mounted on a green marble base. This figure of neoclassical interest is brilliantly detailed, ...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Alabaster, Marble

Antique Italian Alabaster Sculpture of Leda 
the Swan
Antique Italian Alabaster Sculpture of Leda 
the Swan
$4,749
H 16.93 in W 18.71 in D 8.27 in
Leda Art Nouveau Bronze Relief Signed by the Artist 1900s
Located in Benalmadena, ES
Spectacular bronze relief that represents the Greek motif of Leda and the swan, according to which Zeus descended from Olympus in the form of a swan towards Leda, while this queen wa...
Category

Early 1900s Spanish Art Nouveau Antique Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Bronze

Leda and the Swan Mythology Crystal Vase
Located in New York, NY
A serene pose of a swan swimming beneath the overhanging branches of a weeping willow. This is a depiction of Leda and the Swan. Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek...
Category

Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Art Glass

Leda and the Swan Mythology Crystal Vase
Leda and the Swan Mythology Crystal Vase
$450
H 7 in W 5.5 in D 3.75 in
Art Deco Silvered Bronze Figure Leda and the Swan by Paul Philippe
By Ferdinand Preiss, Paul Philippe
Located in Newark, England
SILVERED BRONZE From our Sculpture collection, we are pleased to offer this rare example Art Deco Bronze Figure by Paul Philippe. The figure beautifully raised upon a geometric bla...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Deco Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Bronze French Sculpture by Paul Sylvester "Leda and the Swan"
By Paul Silvestre
Located in North Bergen, NJ
Stunning bronze French sculpture "Leda and the Swan"; by Paul Silvestre (French, 1884-1976). This is #87 of an edition limited to 500 castings done from the original in 1983 for the ...
Category

1980s Vintage Kai Nielsen Busts

"Mother and Child" by Kai Nielsen for Bing Grondahl
By Kai Nielsen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Exquisitely crafted by Bing and Grondahl in 1913, this blanc de chine porcelain figure by Kai Nielsen explored his facination with female figures that seem to be mothers to both huma...
Category

Early 20th Century Danish Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Porcelain

Ruben Nakian Bronze Figurine "Leda and the Swan" Limited Edition
By Reuben Nakian
Located in Bloomfield Hills, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY “Leda and the Swan” is by Reuben Nakian (1897 - 1986). He was an American sculptor and teacher of Armenian extraction. His works’ recurring themes are from Greek and Roman mythology. Nakian’s small bronzes achieve majesty and power which are not dependent on size and amplitude. With characteristic freshness, he has reinterpreted the classical subject of Leda and the Swan refining it in the Classical-Renaissance-Baroque tradition in a contemporary way. Dr. Robert P. Metzger gives us his aesthetic interpretation of this work which retells the myth in classical hedonism and freedom of expression showing Leda and the Swann prior to her being ravaged and during their first meeting. “The young virgin is fascinated with her new found friend and accepts him in a spirit of playfulness, contentment and wonder. She is dreamily available and shyly seductive as the deceptively tame swan snuggles up to her with its phallic-like neck.” Leda appears composed, placid yet open and available as compared to her more intense and passionate states in other of Nakian’s depictions on the same theme. This was cast at the "Renaissance Art Foundry" in 1978 and is so marked on the base being #5 of 7. It is believed that “no other sculptor of the twentieth century matched Rueben’s heroic renditions with the grand themes of Western Art. His erotic mythological figures exude a joyous energy of gesture and movement which place them among seminal sculptural achievements of the past one hundred years.” Nakian studied at the Independent School of Art in New York City previously known as the Robert Henri School … with Homer Boss...
Category

1970s American Vintage Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Bronze

Erotic Bronze Sculpture by Danish Artist Ove Rasmussen, 1950s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Small bronze sculpture depicting nude female. Made by the Danish artist and sculptor Ove Fritz Rasmussen, (1911-1973). It dates to the late 1940s or early 1950s. It is signed by hand...
Category

1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Nielsen Busts

Materials

Bronze

Kai Nielsen busts for sale on 1stDibs.

Kai Nielsen busts are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Kai Nielsen busts, although gold editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original busts by Kai Nielsen were created in the mid-century modern style in scandinavia during the 1950s. Prices for Kai Nielsen busts can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,614 and can go as high as $2,614, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,614.

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