The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 28, 2023

Plate Prop Roll

1969

Richard Serra

(American, b. 1938)

America, 20th century

Lead

Roll: 147.3 x 9 cm (58 x 3 9/16 in.); Flat plate: 116.8 x 121.9 x 1.9 cm (46 x 48 x 3/4 in.)

Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Agnes Gund 1991.214

© Richard Serra / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

By rolling, bending, and flattening, Serra is interested in exploring the physical properties of mass, weight, and volume, and converts industrial materials into sculpture.

Description

A lead plate, bent at a 45-degree angle, leans against the wall and supports the weight of a tightly rolled tube. Serra preferred lead for its suggestion of heavy industry, its softness, and its lack of sheen. The downward pull of gravity and the simple logic of the engineering keep the metal in place and emphasize the weight and density of Serra’s chosen material. Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Agnes Gund 1991.214

Provenance
1969-?
Collection of the artist
1978
(Blum Helman Gallery, New York, NY, 1978)
?-1991
Agnes Gund, New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1991-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Krauss, Rosalind E., Richard Serra, Laura Rosenstock, and Douglas Crimp. Richard Serra: Sculpture. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1986. Reproduced: p. 71 ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
"Year in Review for 1992." In Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 1993) Reproduced: p. 51; mentioned: p. 67, no. 59.
Exhibition history

Nine Young Artists: Theodoron Awards. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, 1969.

Group Show: Richard Serra, Joel Shapiro, Neil Jenny and Bruce Nauman. Blum Helman Gallery, New York, NY, 1978.

Signs of Affection: Gifts Honoring the Museum's 75th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 1992-January 3, 1993).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1991.214