Arlene ShechetAmerican, 1951Grammar
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Harvard Art Museums
Cambridge, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the sculpture
Shechet embraces a range of materials in her sculptural practice. The biomorphic upper portion of Grammar is made out of hand-formed coils of clay. Its slightly slumping forms and lumpy protrusions rest on (and contrast with) the thin metal armature below, engaging us at our own scale—or as the artist puts it, “body to body.”Integral to the work, the pedestal refers to traditions of sculpture and painting: the hand-painted, fluted wooden base was inspired by an 1834 painting of a color wheel by Hudson River artist Thomas Cole. The bell-shaped form also resembles a skirt, its bright colors and subject matter in dialogue with the nearby German expressionist window, Woman with Animals. The skirt, too, suggests a femininity that is often pejoratively associated with the decorative arts, whose traditions Shechet enthusiastically embraces.
Harvard Art Museums
Particulars
- Accession number
- 2024.141
In the catalog
Comings and goings
Not on view at present
Harvard Art Museums · Oct 3, 2026 — now · Verified
Was on view · Gallery 1510, floor 1, Modern and Contemporary Art
Harvard Art Museums · Sep 27, 2026 — Oct 3, 2026 · Verified
Sources
- Harvard Art Museums: the museum's own open data · fetched 7 days ago
- Image: Harvard Art Museums — © Arlene Shechet; Image courtesy of the artist
