Why did critics object to the abstract style of Constantin Brancusi’s sculptures?

Critics often objected to the abstract style of Constantin Brancusi’s sculptures because his radical departures from traditional representation challenged established definitions of art. His work frequently provoked confusion and hostility due to its extreme simplification of form, which many contemporary observers struggled to recognize as sculpture at all.1

Specific instances of this resistance included:

• Legal and Categorical Disputes: In a notable court case, U.S. customs officials refused to classify his work Bird in Space as sculpture, accusing him of attempting to import an industrial part into the country because the piece was so abstract.1
• Public and Academic Scandal: His work Princess X was removed by police from the 1920 Salon because its phallic form led to what authorities deemed an "improper interpretation". Additionally, during the Armory Show, Brancusi was among the avant-garde artists who were hanged in effigy by art students in Chicago, reflecting the intense public backlash against his modern aesthetic.12

Ultimately, these objections stemmed from a fundamental clash between Brancusi’s pursuit of the "essence of form" and the public's expectation of traditional, representational modeling.1