Richard Serra’s Massive Steel Sculptures at Gagosian Galleries
Richard Serra fans (and that definitely includes me), what you need to know is this: his newest pieces, now on exhibition at both Gagosian galleries in Chelsea, are gigantic, they're made of steel, and taken all together they probably weigh around four hundred billion tons. More to the point, they are, in a word, beautiful. Running all the way through January 25 of next year, these two spectacular shows should go on your cultural to-do list this holiday-and-beyond season.
Gagosian's Maze-Like Exhibition
At the Gagosian on 21st Street there's only one sculpture, but it's a doozy. Called Inside Out and filling the huge space, this is one of Serra's maze-like works, with narrow, curving passageways, "secret" womb-like rooms, the smell, and even taste, of steel in the air. And as visually pleasing as the structure itself is the orange/brown color tones throughout, which Serra allows to appear naturally from simple oxidation. Is Inside Out Serra's biggest single sculpture yet? Hard to say, but as with all of his best works, it makes you feel both intimated and protected as you wander around and within. Very similar to the exhibition Serra had back in 2009 and his Junction and Cycle exhibition in 2011.
Serra's Tremendous Steel Scuptures
Serra has four new sculptures on display up at the Gagosian gallery on 24th Street, all if which could be put into the "huge fat slabs of steel" category of his work. The largest of these is the zig-zaggy 7 Plates, 6 Angles, an amazing structure which also offers vast, lovely canvases for the muted tones (again, the metal has been allowed to work its aesthetic magic). Also of note here is Intervals, 24 thick steel plates of varying heights and lengths which turn one of the galleries into something that almost feels like a strange, heavy garden as you wander the paths between the slabs. As always with his large pieces, Serra's sculptures are tremendous crowd-pleasers, sure to engage a wide range of the art appreciators in your life.
More Information: Richard Serra at Gagosian Galleries
Richard Serra: New Sculptures will be at both Gagosian Galleries in Chelsea–on 21st and 24th Streets between 10th and 11th Avenues–through January 25, 2014. Both galleries are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Posted in NYC Events | Tagged Richard Serra art • richard serra exhibition • richard serra gagosian • richard serra nyc 2013 • richard serra steel sculpture
