Column Structure VIII

2006
Not on view
Mangold’s exploration of the possibilities of geometric abstraction reaches back to the 1960s, when the artist emerged as a significant Minimalist painter. Much of his work has interrogated the relationship of the part to the whole and perceptions of incomplete design, often with architectural references. Column Structure VIII belongs to an extended series of narrow columnar compositions animated with elegant hand-drawn curves. In paintings like this one, the artist disrupts the symmetry of the column by adding geometric appendages. Straight lines in pencil subdivide each section, while curving ones unify the overall composition as they intersect with the grid and with the painting’s edges at critical junctures. The distinctive orange color seen here is one the artist employed often over the course of his career.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Column Structure VIII
  • Artist: Robert Mangold (American, born North Tonawanda, New York, 1937)
  • Date: 2006
  • Medium: Acrylic, graphite, and black pencil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 10 ft. × 60 in. (304.8 × 152.4 cm) [irregular shape]
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Milly and Arne Glimcher, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2018
  • Object Number: 2018.660
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.