Sky Cathedral’s Presence I by Louise Nevelson
Louise Nevelson’s life (1899–1988) and work are a story in sculpture. The story is a weaving together and intermingling of several histories: her personal history as a woman artist, the history of Jewish migration to this country and the history of 20th century art, including major movements such as Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism.
All are evident in Sky Cathedral’s Presence I, a sculpture that Nevelson constructed between 1959–1962. Made of painted wood and found objects, it is all in black, as was the artist’s frequent practice. Light comes through the open areas of the piece, however, making its striking different patterns and textures clearly visible.
The artist owned the work until 1969, when it went to Pace Gallery in New York and then was sold to a private collector in 1993. The piece changed hands yet again during a Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Sale in 2017. The distinctive sculpture is now a showpiece of the de Young Contemporary Galleries.
www.famsf.org
Recent Comments