The French artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska spent most of his adult life in London before his untimely death, aged 23. He came from Paris in 1910 with the Polish writer, Sophie Suzanne Brzeska (1872-1925) and they adopted each other's last names although they never married. He was an important pioneer in the revival of carving in sculpture and like many of his fellow sculptors, spent time studying the pieces from around the world in the British Museum. Red Stone Dancer (1913), with its geometrical elements such as the triangle and circle imprinted on its face and breast, incorporates forms from the many different ancient cultures on display there. The naked figure embodies at once both movement and stillness. It was purchased by C. Frank Stoop (1863-1933) who gifted it to the Contemporary Art Society, who presented it to the Tate Gallery in the same year.