
Donald Judd
Untitled
1976
Not on View
Antoine Pevsner
1933
In 1920 Antoine Pevsner signed the Realistic Manifesto drafted by his brother Naum Gabo, proclaiming the intention of Constructivism. They believed that space was given form through implications of depth rather than volume, and they rejected mass as the basic sculptural element. Line, rendered dynamic through directionality, established kinetic rhythms. The Constructivists advocated the use of contemporary industrial materials; they did not carve or model these materials according to sculptural conventions, but constructed them according to principles of modern technology. In this work Pevsner complicates the delineation of space by using a transparent substance in conjunction with opaque materials. The glass panes echo both the rounded excised outlines of the construction and its angular metal surfaces. The metal ribs anchor the panes of glass and hinge all planes, real and imagined, resulting in a complex structuring of space. Furthermore, they function visually as an Orthodox cross, one of the icons of Pevsner’s native Russia.
On view
Artist | Antoine Pevsner |
Original Title | La Croix ancrée |
Date | 1933 |
Medium | Marble, brass, and crystal |
Dimensions | 71.5 x 54.5 x 34 cm |
Credit line | Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice (Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York) |
Accession | 76.2553 PG 60 |
Collection | Peggy Guggenheim Collection |
Type | Sculpture |
Copy caption
On view
Donald Judd
1976
Not on View
Antoine Pevsner
1941
Not on View
Antoine Pevsner
1938–39
Not on View
Marcel Jean
1935–42
Not on View