"The Minimalist Site" Exhibition
Barbara Mathes Gallery
This event has ended.
Barbara Mathes Gallery presents "The Minimalist Site," a group exhibition of Minimalist sculpture and painting that explores the relationship between the work of art and its supporting architecture. This issue was central to the Minimalists' formal reductions and elimination of narrative. By paring down internal dynamics, their work acquired a reflexivity, in which art acknowledged or responded to its immediate environment. For these artists, the surrounding architecture took on new importance. No longer anonymous supports, the wall and floor became active surfaces that could be incorporated into the work. The ramifications of this insight continue to be felt today, as site specific and installation strategies have become essential components of contemporary artistic practices.
The centerpiece of this exhibition is a rare and monumental Sol LeWitt wall relief from 1977. This structure transforms the wall into a platform for a pioneering form of modular sculpture. Using an open square as a standardized unit, LeWitt translates a conceptual statement into sculptural form. In raking light, this work opens onto the wall to create an intricate interplay of geometry and shadow.
[Image: Sol Lewitt (1928-2007) "Wall Structure" (1977) Baked enamel on aluminum 6 ft 4 1/4 in. x 11 ft 4 in. x 1 1/2 in.]
Media
Schedule
from April 23, 2009 to June 19, 2009
Artist(s)
Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold, Carl Andre, John McCracken, Dan Flavin et al.