Untitled
Joel Shapiro American
Not on view
Shapiro, who has lived and worked in New York for the majority of his career, is known for sculpture that makes use of found and cut rectangular and square planks and beams of wood in a multitude of scales, from intimate to monumental, either leaving the elements in raw form or casting them in metal. Taking inspiration from modernist assemblage—from Pablo Picasso and Julio Gonzalez to Vladimir Tatlin—the artist constructs these elements into forms that are rooted in both geometric abstraction and the figurative tradition. His additions of layers of vibrant color—here, Shapiro used rich oil paint in cadmium red and vermilion hues—are also often inspired by art-historical precedent, in particular modernist painters such as Piet Mondrian and Chaim Soutine. This monumental work was first debuted as part of Shapiro’s solo exhibition on The Met’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden in 2001, the year it was first constructed and cast.
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