Richard SerraAmerican, 1938–2024Close Pin Prop
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Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
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- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
In the late 1960s, Richard Serra pioneered “antiform,” an approach to sculpture that challenged the reductive formalism of Minimalism by focusing on the process or act of creation. Capturing the raw, muscular energy of working with lead and steel, the artist utilized these materials to explore fundamental properties of sculptural tension. In 1968 Serra created his first “props,” consisting of plates and tubes in precarious configurations. Although these works are entirely stable, as all are carefully balanced, they employ gravity as their fundamental support and thus have an unnerving quality. The result is an aggressive sculptural experience evoking potential danger. The title refers to the artist Chuck Close, who visited Serra’s studio when this prop was being made.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1991.161a-b
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
Meanwhile, in the life of Richard Serra
The whole life1968
Group show “Nine at Castelli”
At the Castelli Warehouse in New York he shows “Prop” and “Scatter Piece” and makes “Splashing” by throwing molten lead into the angle between floor and wall.
1969
Jasper Johns's commission and a plate in the corner
Jasper Johns commissions a “Splash Piece” for his studio; while heating the lead plates, Serra sets one of the larger ones in the corner, where it stands on its own. It becomes a pivotal moment, soon followed by his break into space.
1969
First solo exhibition in the United States
At the Leo Castelli Warehouse in New York he exhibits ten lead “Prop Pieces”, a “Scatter Piece” and a “Splash Piece” dedicated to Eva Hesse.
1969
“Anti-Illusion” at the Whitney
His “Casting” is included in the exhibition “Anti-Illusion: Procedures/Materials” at the Whitney Museum of American Art: he again throws molten lead into the angle of floor and wall, pulls away the hardened casting and repeats the action, producing a series of free-standing forms.
1970
First solo museum exhibition
His first solo museum exhibition is held at the Pasadena Art Museum in Pasadena, California.
1970
The Zen gardens of Myoshin-ji in Kyoto
In Japan he spends most of his time studying the Zen gardens and temples of Myoshin-ji in Kyoto. The layout of the gardens reveals the landscape as a total field that can be experienced only by walking, and changes his way of seeing space in relation to time.
