One of the most important American sculptors of the late 20th century, Richard Serra was first recognized for his process-based sculptures of rubber and metal, and later for his large-scale, site-specific, geometric, steel installations. This exhibition of the California-born artist’s work constituted Serra’s first major show in LA and included new sculptures made in direct response to The Geffen Contemporary’s unique architecture.
Torqued Ellipses (1996–1998), the focus of the show, comprises seven enormous, eleven-to-thirteen-foot high, curved plates of Cor-Ten steel. Each 20-ton sheet forms a slanted ellipse with a gap for entry. The concept—“take an elliptical volume of space and torque it”—was inspired by the architecture of the Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome. Serra, his assistant Allen Glatter, and engineer Rick Smith carefully developed the designs with over thirty physical models (included in the exhibition) and computer support; Beth Ship in Maryland and Pickhan Umformtechnik GMBH in Siegen, Germany, fabricated the works.
Also in the exhibition were Pickhan’s Progress (1998), consisting of six curved, steel plates, and 58 x 64 x 70 (1996), an installation of six identical, forged steel blocks. Richard Serra traveled to the Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain.
The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue.