He works as a freight brakeman and train conductor in New Jersey for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The experience of blue-collar labour and the ordered nature of freight trains will shape his sculpture and persona: he often turns up in overalls and a blue work shirt, even at the most formal occasions.
1965
First public exhibition: “Shape and Structure”
He shows his work in public for the first time in the exhibition “Shape and Structure” at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, curated by Henry Geldzahler.
1966
“Lever” at “Primary Structures”
“Lever” — a single line of 137 firebricks hugging the floor and concisely dividing a space — is included in the exhibition “Primary Structures” at the Jewish Museum in New York; the controversial work brings Andre considerable recognition.
1966
Sculpture to walk on
His innovative works lie flat on the ground instead of rising up; viewers are invited to walk over the sculpture to sense the difference between materials — steel, aluminium — and between standing at the centre of a work and outside its edge.
1970
Solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum
His solo exhibition takes place at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; “37 Pieces of Work”, which lies flat on the floor, is shown there for the first time.
1976
The “bricks controversy” over “Equivalent VIII”
After an article in The Sunday Times, the work that the Tate had shown several times without incident becomes the centre of a scandal and is later defaced with blue food dye; the “bricks controversy” becomes one of the most famous British debates about contemporary art.
