In 1920, Gabo and his brother Antoine Pevsner published the Realist Manifesto, a declaration that rejected naturalism in favour of a new vocabulary grounded in space, light, and time, informed by the principles of kineticism. Pursuit of form was not grounded in aspirations of beauty, but in the creation of dynamism expressing the real nature of time. These concepts remained constant throughout Gabo’s career, shaping his artistic trajectory as he left Russia in 1922 and moved across Berlin, France, and England before finally establishing himself in the United States.

Having studied medicine himself, Gabo was acutely aware of constructions of early String Theory and wove new possibilities into sculpture with this knowledge. Gabo’s move to London in 1936, may have sparked the inspiration for Henry Moore’s first string piece the following year (1937). Meanwhile, Barbara Hepworth, who was closely associated with Gabo, may have been encouraged by his interest in merging the organic and geometric, producing her first stringed construction in 1939.

The idea for Linear Construction in Space No. 4 emerged in 1957, with its realisation occupying much of the late 1950s. According to his wife Miriam, the complexity of achieving the final form demanded ‘days and nights of labour.’

The work consists of an anodised aluminium framework, developed from the earlier Linear Construction in Space No. 3, within which steel and beryllium spring wires are meticulously strung. These taut, curvilinear threads generate planes of movement that both define and activate the surrounding space. Gabo’s experiments with stringing began in the early 1940s and provided a means of exploring the immaterial, using light and tension to articulate volume. Each Construction was strung by the artist. As Gabo himself remarked, the surface appears ‘alive’ as the viewer perceives simultaneously what lies in front, what extends behind and what pushes out from all angles, creating ultimately what Herbert Read describes in his notes on Constructivism, as the ‘poetry of space, the poetry of time’.

This Construction has remained in private hands since its creation in 1957, passing through the family of Dr Owen Franklin, Gabo’s stepson. Franklin grew up surrounded by Gabo’s work and the circle of Modern British artists – including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, and Alfred Wallis – whose influence informed the breadth of his own collection.

Gabo completed fourteen variations of this sculpture between 1955 and 1970, each unique and varying in scale. Six of these sculptures are housed in major global art collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Gabo completed fourteen variations of this sculpture, each unique and varying in scale.