- This volume is devoted to the seminal work of Constantin Brancusi (1876 1957) and Richard Serra (*1939 in San Francisco). Central aspects of Brancusi s oeuvre will be examined based on a concentrated selection of around thirty-five sculptures. The publication commences with his groundbreaking concept of sculpture, whose investigation of the essence of form is articulated through the reduction of volume. Organized like a retrospective, the book presents exemplary works in marble, bronze, wood, and plaster that were created over a period of almost four decades and deal with specific groups of themes. The investigation of this fundamental issue of the essence of sculpture and its possibilities continues with an examination of sculptures singled out from some of Richard Serra s various creative periods. Direct contrasts of works by the two artists reveal shared characteristics as well as exciting differences, and allow us to once more experience the universal power of sculpture.