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Richard Serra
1939, San Francisco - New York
Richard Serra
1939, San Francisco - New York
Richard Serra has been making large geometrical sculptures from untreated Cor-Ten steel since the 1960s. The monumental steel slabs – which are erected both inside and outside – influence the sense of scale and space and defy all concepts of gravity. In the unstable balance of his rusty steel configurations, the actual material quality of the enormous weight becomes the binding force of Serra’s sculptures.
The Hours of the Day is erected in the inner garden and can be seen clearly from the first and second floors of the museum. The installation consists of twelve slabs of Cor-Ten steel of equal width and depth. Only the heights differ. Two rows of four slabs are arranged in order of descending height, and the third row in order of ascending height. This seemingly simple distinction creates a dynamic contrast. Visitors who wander into this ‘labyrinth’ quickly lose their way, despite the fact that the sculpture has an internal core formed by a diagonal line of slabs of the same height. This line is the ‘heart’ of the sculpture.
The Hours of the Day entices visitors to walk between the extremely heavy slabs and puzzle out the sequence, by physically experiencing the spatial arrangement.
This important protagonist of American Minimal Art is also represented in the museum’s collection by a two-part work on linen entitled Top Cut / Double Tilt (1985 ).
Images
Collection Bonnefantenmuseum
Top Cut / Double Tilt, 1985
The Hours of the Day, 1990
Top Cut / Double Tilt, 1985
The Hours of the Day, 1990