Installation view of
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Reverse Curve, 2005/19,
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Reverse Curve, 2005/19,
corten steel, two plates,
Overall: 13' 1/2" x 99' 9" x 19' 7" (4 x 30.4 x 6 m)
Plates: 2" (5 cm) thick,
at the exhibition "Reverse Curve,"
Gagosian, 522 West 21st Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - February 1, 2020
at the exhibition "Reverse Curve,"
Gagosian, 522 West 21st Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - February 1, 2020
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Richard Serra (1938 - ) has been challenging one's perception of objects in space for over fifty years. Through his sculpture, this octogenarian addresses questions such as what it means to look left or right or around convexity or concavity. He deals with the properties of the material involving effects of weight and how varying scales of solids displace space differently in the same place. Methodology and results incorporate contrasts. The man-made is combined with nature, heaviness is turned into lightness and things appear and disappear. His monumental sculpture has been associated with Minimalism and Process Art. Serra's work however is unique. Three Gagosian galleries presently offer the opportunity to engage with Serra in the exhibitions Reverse Curve, Forged Rounds and Triptychs and Diptychs.
Installation view of
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Nine, 2019,
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Nine, 2019,
forged steel, nine rounds,
7' x 6' 4 3/4" diam. (213.4 x 194.9 cm)
6' 6" x 6' 7 3/4" diam. (198.1 x 202.6 cm)
6' x 6' 11" diam (182.9 x 210.8 cm)
5' 6" x 7' 2" diam. (167.6 x 218.4 cm)
5' x 7' 7" diam. (152.4 x 231.1 cm)
4' 6" x 8' diam (137.2 x 243.8 cm)
4' x 8' 6" diam. (121.9 x 259.1 cm)
3' 6 1/2" x 9' diam. (108 x 274.3 cm)
3' 2 1/4" x 9' 6" diam. (97.2 x 289.6 cm)
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
6' 6" x 6' 7 3/4" diam. (198.1 x 202.6 cm)
6' x 6' 11" diam (182.9 x 210.8 cm)
5' 6" x 7' 2" diam. (167.6 x 218.4 cm)
5' x 7' 7" diam. (152.4 x 231.1 cm)
4' 6" x 8' diam (137.2 x 243.8 cm)
4' x 8' 6" diam. (121.9 x 259.1 cm)
3' 6 1/2" x 9' diam. (108 x 274.3 cm)
3' 2 1/4" x 9' 6" diam. (97.2 x 289.6 cm)
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
The Forged Rounds show displays 4 new works. Together there are 21 forged steel round or cylindrical drums of varying diameters and heights, weighing 50 tons each. They are divided among 4 rooms in diverse combinations: nine rounds, six rounds in two groups, four rounds in two inverted stacks and two rounds that are barely contained in their allocated area. The round's heft was dictated by the 50 ton weight limitation set by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for crossing over the George Washington Bridge. Serra's pieces are produced in Germany foundries. The round pieces of forged steel are made in Wetzlar, Germany and the corten steel ones are fabricated in Burbach, Germany. They are then shipped to Port Newark, New Jersey where they get trucked into Manhattan. If they weighed more than 50 tons, they could not be transported over the bridge and would not get to the gallery.
Installation view of
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Channel, 2019,
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Channel, 2019,
forged steel, two rounds,
Each 48" x 102" diam. (121.9 x 259 cm)
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Each 48" x 102" diam. (121.9 x 259 cm)
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
The configuration and placement of each work trigger contrasting reactions. In the smallest room installed with Channel, the space seems confining as if the air itself were constricted. Each round is flush against one wall leaving navigation between them tight. Although the same size rounds, 48" x 102", appear 4 times again, 2 rounds in 2 other pieces, Combined and Separated and Inverted, the Channel rounds in their setting give the impression of being much larger and heavier.
Installation view of
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Combined and Separated, 2019,
forged steel, six rounds, in two groups
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Combined and Separated, 2019,
forged steel, six rounds, in two groups
Two, each 78" x 79 3/4" diam. (198 x 202.6 cm)
Two, each 72" x 83" diam. (182.9 x 210.8 cm)
Two, each 48" x 102" diam. (121.9 x 259.1 cm),
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Two, each 72" x 83" diam. (182.9 x 210.8 cm)
Two, each 48" x 102" diam. (121.9 x 259.1 cm),
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
The other pieces allow visitors to move in and around and through the arrangements. Elements materialize and vanish depending on the viewer's chosen route. Formations change accordingly - six components may visually become two. This is distinctly evident in Combined and Separated and Inverted.
Installation view of
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Inverted, 2019,
forged steel, four rounds, in two inverted stacks
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Inverted, 2019,
forged steel, four rounds, in two inverted stacks
Two, each 48" x 102" diam. (121.9 x 259.1 cm)
Two, each 54" x 96" diam. (137.1 x 243.8 cm)
Each stack 102" x 102" diam. (259 x 259 cm),
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Two, each 54" x 96" diam. (137.1 x 243.8 cm)
Each stack 102" x 102" diam. (259 x 259 cm),
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Inverted is particularly inviting for circulation. Differing viewpoints of the divergent stacks point out dissimilarities in their appearance. Although both have bulk and weight, the inversion with the larger round on top looks squatter and less stable than the one with the smaller round atop. The latter appears to adhere more to the properties of gravity.
Installation view of
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Inverted, 2019,
forged steel, four rounds, in two inverted stacks
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Inverted, 2019,
forged steel, four rounds, in two inverted stacks
Two, each 48" x 102" diam. (121.9 x 259.1 cm)
Two, each 54" x 96" diam. (137.1 x 243.8 cm)
Each stack 102" x 102" diam. (259 x 259 cm)
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Two, each 54" x 96" diam. (137.1 x 243.8 cm)
Each stack 102" x 102" diam. (259 x 259 cm)
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Serra's work calls forth a desire to touch. Visitors are commonly seen placing their hands on the forged steel surface as if to confirm its substance. Guards do not seem to mind. Physical contact is also engendered by the sculptures' intricately textured finishes in contrast to their rugged hugeness.
Installation view of
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Combined and Separated, 2019,
forged steel, six rounds, in two groups
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Combined and Separated, 2019,
forged steel, six rounds, in two groups
Two, each 78" x 79 3/4" diam. (198 x 202.6 cm)
Two, each 72" x 83" diam. (182.9 x 210.8 cm)
Two, each 48" x 102" diam. (121.9 x 259.1 cm),
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Two, each 72" x 83" diam. (182.9 x 210.8 cm)
Two, each 48" x 102" diam. (121.9 x 259.1 cm),
at the exhibition "Forged Rounds,"
Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
The artist uses steel in a way like no one before. This structural and fabricated material is an alloy of iron and carbon. Forged steel involves working with the solid form of the alloy by heating and hammering. Surface results depend on the way steel is cooled after it is formed as well as its exposure to weather. The artist has some control over the outcome.
Reverse Curve is made of corten steel which has additional alloying components mixed in with the iron and carbon. This makes the steel stronger and corrosion resistant. It is characterized by a rusty, orange patina caused by weathering. In the case of Reverse Curve, one side of the metal was unprotected when shipped. On this side, the elements especially sun, wind and rain produced an effect akin to a Color Field painting. Thus, nature contributed a rich fall-like coloration and a rhythmic striation along this side's full length. Man-made and natural processes have collaborated to make art.
Reverse Curve is made of corten steel which has additional alloying components mixed in with the iron and carbon. This makes the steel stronger and corrosion resistant. It is characterized by a rusty, orange patina caused by weathering. In the case of Reverse Curve, one side of the metal was unprotected when shipped. On this side, the elements especially sun, wind and rain produced an effect akin to a Color Field painting. Thus, nature contributed a rich fall-like coloration and a rhythmic striation along this side's full length. Man-made and natural processes have collaborated to make art.
Installation view of
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Reverse Curve, 2005/19,
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Reverse Curve, 2005/19,
corten steel, two plates,
Overall: 13' 1/2" x 99' 9" x 19' 7" (4 x 30.4 x 6 m)
Plates: 2" (5 cm) thick,
at the exhibition "Reverse Curve,"
Gagosian, 522 West 21st Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - February 1, 2020
at the exhibition "Reverse Curve,"
Gagosian, 522 West 21st Street, New York,
September 17, 2019 - February 1, 2020
Photo: Hillary Ganton
The lyrical lightness of Reverse Curve belies its approximately 60 ton weight - about 120,000 pounds. This work highlights Serra's use of free standing objects. It is made up of 2 plates together creating an object close to 100 feet long. Nothing is bolted together or to the ground. Where the floor is uneven, light seeps through segments of the sculpture's lower edge. It also brings up the question of emotional effects. Walking about and through some of Serra's sculptures may elicit contradictory feelings. A tilt toward the viewer (a concavity) creates the anxiety that the work may fall on you. In opposition, a segment bending away from the viewer (a convexity), creates a sense of comfort as if the piece can protect you from dangers. Rounds can seem like megaliths brought over from some prehistoric site and induce awe. Although Serra said that emotional responses were not his intention, he added that if his work had that affect, it was great but "Don't blame me."
Richard Serra (1938 - ), Diptych #5, 2019,
paintstick, etching ink, and silica on handmade paper,
47 3/4" x 63 1/4" (121.3 x 160.7 cm)
at the exhibition "Triptychs and Diptychs,"
Gagosian, 980 Madison Avenue, New York,
September 16, 2019 - November 2, 2019
Gagosian, 980 Madison Avenue, New York,
September 16, 2019 - November 2, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
Serra's drawings are independent of his sculptures. They are not designs for three-dimensional pieces where models are used for working out ideas. His drawings may be based on existing sculptures but are not used in the preparation of them.
In drawing, Serra explores the representation of weight and space in two-dimensions and considers the question of what the process of drawing is about that is making marks on a page. He has drawn since childhood and drawing remains an almost daily practice. He says drawing for him "...is like a language. It's a way to think." In fact, he was accepted to graduate school at the Yale School of Art with a submission of 12 drawings after majoring in English literature as an undergraduate.
At Gagosian's Madison Avenue gallery, the exhibit Triptychs and Diptychs presents 20 of the artist's 2019 drawings. They make clear Serra's habit of making up his own tools to conceive his inventions. He had been working at a print shop in Los Angeles making a print and thought of making a drawing using etching ink and a roller like in the printing process. In the Diptychs and Triptychs he made a drawing with paintstick - the tubes of which had been melted then formed into bricks for ease of application. He then used a roller to apply ink then silica over the paintstick drawing which produced a thick, textured layer of black.
In drawing, Serra explores the representation of weight and space in two-dimensions and considers the question of what the process of drawing is about that is making marks on a page. He has drawn since childhood and drawing remains an almost daily practice. He says drawing for him "...is like a language. It's a way to think." In fact, he was accepted to graduate school at the Yale School of Art with a submission of 12 drawings after majoring in English literature as an undergraduate.
At Gagosian's Madison Avenue gallery, the exhibit Triptychs and Diptychs presents 20 of the artist's 2019 drawings. They make clear Serra's habit of making up his own tools to conceive his inventions. He had been working at a print shop in Los Angeles making a print and thought of making a drawing using etching ink and a roller like in the printing process. In the Diptychs and Triptychs he made a drawing with paintstick - the tubes of which had been melted then formed into bricks for ease of application. He then used a roller to apply ink then silica over the paintstick drawing which produced a thick, textured layer of black.
Detail of Richard Serra (1938 - ), Diptych #5, 2019,
paintstick, etching ink, and silica on handmade paper,
47 3/4" x 63 1/4" (121.3 x 160.7 cm)
at the exhibition "Triptychs and Diptychs,"
Gagosian, 980 Madison Avenue, New York,
September 16, 2019 - November 2, 2019
Gagosian, 980 Madison Avenue, New York,
September 16, 2019 - November 2, 2019
Photo: Hillary Ganton
He lets the process of creation show. Smudges, spatters, finger marks and holes from where the handmade paper was tacked to the wall are not removed. The deliberate and accidental fuse.
Black is Serra's color of choice. He sees black and white as the written medium we grew up with. Moreover, black is used in structure and form which holds his interest. Black absorbs light as opposed to reflecting it. Because of this property, Serra says that black has a different weight than colors such as green or yellow that reflect light.
Although space may be the overriding subject matter of all of Serra's art, so is the individual viewing.
Black is Serra's color of choice. He sees black and white as the written medium we grew up with. Moreover, black is used in structure and form which holds his interest. Black absorbs light as opposed to reflecting it. Because of this property, Serra says that black has a different weight than colors such as green or yellow that reflect light.
Although space may be the overriding subject matter of all of Serra's art, so is the individual viewing.
Reverse Curve
September 17, 2019 - February 1, 2020
522 West 21st Street, New York
Forged Rounds
September 17, 2019 - December 7, 2019
555 West 24th Street, New York
Triptychs and Diptychs
September 16, 2019 - November 2, 2019
980 Madison Avenue, New York
Gallery Hours:
Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Gallery Hours:
Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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