Max Ernst
Capricorn, model 1948, cast 1975

Look at the array of decidedly strange but fixating figures in front of us. It won't come as a surprise that Capricorn's creator, Max Ernst, was at the center of the Dada and Surrealist movements in Europe early in his career. We can view this sculpture as a portrait of the major themes Ernst worked with throughout his career: birds, horned kings, collaged monsters, and hybrid male and female figures. Like many contemporary artists, Ernst was well-acquainted with ancient and tribal arts. He brings some of this into play with the quasi-cycladic female figure at the right (at least her top half), and the staff at the left that was based on a tribal house post in the artist's own collection.

The model for this freestanding sculpture, Ernst's largest, was made in 1948 from both found objects and sculpted form. It was cast in 1975. When the German-born artist came to the United States in 1941 and settled eventually in Sedona, Arizona, his wife named their home Capricorn Hill.