Richard Serra
Richard Serra
Richard Serra is an
American artist, born 1938 San Francisco, who produces giant sculptures for
clients all other the world, from Iceland to New Zealand. Serra graduated with
a BA in English Literature, however later studied painting at Yale University,
achieving both a BFA and MFA. He began displaying his work with Leo Castelli in
1968, however had his first solo exhibition in the Leo Castelli Warehouse, NYC,
in 1969. In 1970, Serra had his first solo Museum exhibition at the Pasadena
Art Museum, California. His artwork relates to the post- Abstract Expressionist
period of Minimalism.
His sculptures are meant to
engage the viewer both visually and physically and allows them to experience
universal qualities of weight, gravity, agility and meditation. His sculptures
are an advance to the tradition of abstract sculpture. Serra took inspiration
from other minimalist sculptors, such as Donald Judd and Carl Andre, due to
their demonstration of sculptures which could stand for themselves and weren’t
used to express the artists’ personal emotions and thoughts. Richard Serra
works collaboratively with contemporary musicians, dancers and videographers to
learn from and take inspiration from. His work has been described as “a
painting, a sculpture, a piece of architecture and an epic fragment of modern
industry”.
“Obsession is what
it comes down to. It is difficult to think without obsession, and it is
impossible to create something without a foundation that is rigorous,
incontrovertible, and, in fact, to some degree repetitive. Repetition is the
ritual of obsession. Repetition is a way to jumpstart the indecision of
beginning. To persevere and to begin over and over again is to continue the
obsession with work. Work comes out of work. In order to work you must already
be working” Richard
Serra
Richard Serra’s welded steel
sculptures show a relationship between itself and the environment it is in. He
believes that art work should be part of people’s lives and participatory and
not confined to museums. This idea that his sculptures portray has made people
question the role and governance of art in public spaces where the art could
disrupt or interrupt the viewer’s daily routines. His use of manmade materials
was to suggest that art could be monumental rather than very bold, expressive,
crazy substances and formats.
Titled Arc
In 1972 the NYC General Services
Administration allocated 0.5% of their budget to public art. In 1979, Serra was
commissioned a $175,000 sculpture by the GSA to go on a plaza adjacent to the
federal office complex in lower Manhattan. After about a year of preparation,
the ‘Titled Arc’ was installed. It was a 120ft long and 12ft high curved steel
sculpture. However, the sculpture was soon ridiculed by the workers close to
it. After just 2 months of it being up, a petition with 1300 federal employee signatures
was produced and over the next few years, one of the biggest critics, William
Diamond, was able to get 4000 more signatures. In 1984, a New York Congressman
and a Federal Judge asked for its removal. In 1985, Diamond started a public
hearing for the removal of the artwork. The main issue was that the sculpture
was disruptive due to its size and location, as well as it obstructing views
and making it more difficult for commuters. Some people also thought the
artwork of the Plaza itself was being destroyed. Serra explained that work was
built to work with the Plaza and to move it would destroy the whole design. He
also believed the space was not just for federal workers but for the general
public and international visitors who didn’t have their opinion voiced. The
judge ruled that due to it actually being the property of the GSA, they could
do whatever they want and there was nothing Serra had signed that could legally
oppose this. Although, Serra started a $30 million appealed as he thought that
the removal of the work breached their contract, broke established trademark
and copyright laws and violated his First and Fifth Amendment rights. This was
not successful and the sculpture was removed in 1989. The sculpture has been in
storage since as Serra doesn’t believe the sculpture fits anywhere else.
I quite like this sculpture by Richard Serra as I think it breaks up a
large open space which makes people walking through feel less vulnerable and
isolated. I think the harshness of the industrial material is softened by the
delicate curve, however I do think it blocks a lot of the nature surrounding
the buildings. I initially agreed that the work was also ruining the art of the
Plaza, but Serra’s continuous stubbornness that his sculpture was designed to
work with the Plaza, makes me believe that it does fit in its surroundings
well.