The Temporary Contemporary
Richard Deacon was the first US retrospective of the artist's work. In addition, a new work, Distance No Object, 1988 commissioned by MOCA, was installed in the sculpture court of the MOCA Grand Avenue building. A massive eight-and-a-half-by-twelve-by-twenty-foot painted-steel sculpture with copper rimming one of its circular ends, it was a standout of this retrospective. A cross between a gigantic drainpipe and a Surrealist monster, the work has an intriguing history. Distance No Object was purchased by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1989, where it quickly became a fixture in one of the institution’s interior galleries. Even divorced from its intended setting, the work retains its ability to transfix viewers.
The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue.
Richard Deacon was organized by the Carnegie Museum of Art and was coordinated by Mary Jane Jacob, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.