Brâncuşi Endless Column: A Masterpiece of Art and Engineering

The Endless Column by Constantin Brâncuşi is "the most radical sculpture in the history of classic modernism", "the only one of modern times that can be compared with the great Egyptian, Greek and Renaissance monuments". It "is not only an artistic masterpiece, but also an extraordinary feat of engineering", the greatest example of collaboration between a sculptor and an engineer. This article illustrates the path that led the artist to conception of the column, its planning and construction, the investigations on preservation of the monument and its restoration, the aerodynamic tests in the wind tunnel, the modeling of the wind and the structure in virtue of which the aeroelastic instability, dynamic response and fatigue life were investigated. The conclusions discuss the column's role in the panorama of the great works of modern engineering.