City-Sunscape
Artist
Louise Nevelson
(American, born Ukraine, 1899 – 1988)
Date1979
MediumPolyester resin cast
DimensionsImage: 12 3/4 x 9 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (32.4 x 23.2 x 4.4 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift of Paulette and Kurt Olden, 1987
Object numberMF87.17
Having studied at the Art Students League in New York, and also under the artist Hans Hofmann, Louise Nevelson's work is informed by a variety of techniques and styles including Cubism, Surrealism, and Constructivism. This eclecticism of styles is particularly visible in the Ringling piece. Here a monochrome relief creates a visual puzzle. Although it appears to include fragments of wood, found objects, and pieces of architectural ornamentation, it is a resin cast. By painting the sculpture black, Nevelson obscures the identity of the actual work, forcing the viewer to investigate closer this intriguing piece. Combining the formal aesthetic of Cubism with the industrial materiality of Constructivism, Nevelson became one of the most important American sculptors of the 20th century.
On View
Not on view
circa 1965
December 1, 1798