Sculpture Gardens at the Baltimore Museum of Art

Eight-Part Circle, Michael Heizer. 1976/1987 and 100 Yard Dash, Alexander Calder. 1969

The perfect harmony between art and nature exists in the Levi sculpture garden at the Baltimore Museum of Art.  A painted-red, steel sculpture by Alexander Calder is centrally located within the garden, and provides a complementary contrast to the verdant foliage.  Michael Heizer’s Eight-Part Circle is assembled nearby.  Heizer, born in 1944, earned a reputation for the creation of large-size earth art projects.  Within this garden, his geometric granite forms appear to be deconstructed from the whole circle.  Heizer’s manipulation of spatial relationships poses a puzzle for the viewer, somewhat like a seven-part Chinese tangram.

(l-r) Noh Musicians, Isamu Noguchi. 1958/1974 and  Large Boxing Hare on Anvil, Barry Flannagan, 1984.

     The garden is vested in abstract works by very famous sculptors, but does include a figurative Hare by Barry Flannagan.  The enigmatic posture of a hare standing on an anvil conveys a sense of fantasy. Another sculpture by Isamu Noguchi alludes to a type of Japanese theatrical performance, referred to as Noh theater.  Noguchi created abstract musicians with stainless steel and a surface treatment that shimmers in the sunlight. 

Three-Piece Reclining Figure No. 1, Henry Moore. 1961-62

     The Levi garden adjoins the Wurtzburger garden, but each space is separated by terraced levels.  A large bronze-cast Three-Piece Reclining Figure by Henry Moore is prominently featured within the Wurtzburger collection.  Moore’s Reclining Figure is an anthropomorphic mass that may also suggest rock formations eroded by wind and water.  The stability of Moore’s sculpture evokes ideas about the human condition. Both gardens provide a relaxed ambience and opportunity for contemplation.

References:

Foster, Hal, Rosalind Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois and Benjamin Buchloh. Art Since 1900:
   Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism, vol 2. New York: Thames & Hudson, 
   2004.

Collection – Sculpture Gardens. 2007. The Baltimore Museum of Art.
   http://www.artbma.org/collection/overview/sculpture.html (accessed Aug 10, 2013).

Elegance of Line: Kinetic Sculpture of José De Rivera

 

Infinity, José de Rivera. 1967 Washington, D.C.

      An abstract, linear sculpture designed by José de Rivera (1904-1985) is a landmark feature for the entrance to the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The highly polished, welded-steel form is a prime example of kinetic sculpture since it rotates on its base once every six minutes.
     The project was awarded by the General Services Administration’s Art-in-Architecture Program.  Walker Cain, architect for the building, believed that the form suggested an “orrery” or mechanical model of the solar system, and was a perfect match to represent the collaboration between art and science.  However, this interpretation was not necessarily intended by the artist.  Instead, De Rivera encouraged unlimited explanations to accommodate any viewer’s imagination.  De Rivera stated “When you say something is beautiful, you’re saying that the relationships are beautiful.” The sculptor’s attitude is also reminiscent of a famous quote by Albert Einstein that “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” It is important to have the patience to stand for a few minutes and watch the changing linear relationships as the sculpture rotates.

Construction 140, José de Rivera. 1971
The Baltimore Museum of Art

      De Rivera created many abstract, linear sculptures that were simply entitled Constructions and identified with a number.  The entrance to the Levi Sculpture Garden outside the Baltimore Museum of Art is graced with stainless steel Construction 140. This is also motorized so that the form rotates very slowly. Once again, a patient observer is rewarded with elegant relationships of form that evoke imagination.

Reference:

Shayt, David. “Measuring Infinity: José de Rivera's Smithsonian Sculpture on the National Mall,” Curator: The Museum Journal, Vol. 51 no.2 (April 2008): 1-6.
http://amhistory.si.edu/docs/Shayt_Measuring_Infinity_2008.pdf (accessed July 20, 2013).