Gaudier-Brzeska, Henri (1891-1915)

French sculptor, active in London from 1911. He is regarded as one of the outstanding sculptors of his generation. He studied art in Bristol, Nuremberg, and Munich, and became a member of the English Vorticist movement, which sought to reflect the energy of the industrial age through an angular, semi-abstract style. His works include the portrait Horace Brodsky (1913; Tate Gallery, London); and Birds Erect (1914; Museum of Modern Art, New York).

From 1913 his sculptures showed the influence of Constantin Brancusi, Jacob Epstein, and primitive art. He was killed in action during World War I.