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Naum Gabo US citizen 3/14/1952, , (Aug 5, 1890–Aug 23, 1977)

Linear Construction No. 2 (Variation No. 1)

1950
24 x 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 in. (61 x 44.5 x 44.5 cm)

Medium and Support: Perspex with nylon monofilament

Credit Line: Museum purchase, by exchange

Accession Number: 1952.19

Commentary

Inspired by the 1917 revolution in his native Russia, Naum Gabo embraced the role of artist-as-engineer, an idealized innovator who combined art and architecture, industry and technology in a new society that broke traditional class barriers and artistic hierarchies. Following stints in Germany, France, and England—moves necessitated by the rise of Nazism and the violence of World War II—Gabo settled in the United States in 1946. In this unrealized design for the Esso Building at Rockefeller Center in New York, Gabo combined Perspex, a plastic he encountered in England, and monofilament to create an intricate, dynamic form, derived from mathematical models. Intended to sit atop revolving doors, these sculptures married space and time, dimensions of fascination and exploration for Gabo.

Exhibition List

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Terms of Criticism Addison Gallery of American Art , 00/00/00 - 5/10/1965
New England Sculptors Addison Gallery of American Art , 5/5/1951 - 6/3/1951
Naum Gabo Exhibition Charles Hayden Memorial Library, Hayden Gallery, MIT , 10/22/1951 - 11/24/1951
The Classic Tradition in Contemporary Art Walker Art Center , 4/24/1953 - 6/26/1953
Translucent Objects Selected from the Addison Gallery Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 4/13/1959 - 5/18/1959
Art in the Academic Curriculum Addison Gallery of American Art , 5/29/1959 - 9/25/1959
Survey of the Permanent Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/14/1961 - 11/27/1961
Terms of Criticism Addison Gallery of American Art , 7/26/1963 - 12/23/1963
Terms of Criticism Addison Gallery of American Art , 7/15/1966 - 10/3/1966
Terms of Criticism Addison Gallery of American Art , 7/18/1969 - 10/19/1969
American Abstraction at the Addison Addison Gallery of American Art , 4/18/1991 - 7/31/1991
American Abstraction from the Addison Gallery of American Art American Federation of Arts , 2/27/1993 - 12/4/1994
Aspects of Abstraction: Paintings, Sculpture, Drawings, and Prints by: Albers, Gabo, Judd, Kendrick, McLaughlin, Pollock Addison Gallery of American Art , 1/12/1996 - 3/24/1996
Addison Gallery of American Art: 65 Years Addison Gallery of American Art , 4/13/1996 - 7/31/1996
Linear Dimensions: Drawings from the Addison Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 12/30/1998 - 3/28/1999
Sculpture in Context Addison Gallery of American Art , 4/17/1999 - 7/31/1999
Defying Distinction: Works from the Addison Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 1/12/2002 - 4/14/2002
Tracing the Sublime Addison Gallery of American Art , 12/16/2003 - 3/21/2004
Coming of Age: American Art, 1850s to 1950s American Federation of Arts , 9/9/2006 - 9/7/2009
Light/Dark, White/Black Addison Gallery of American Art , 1/17/2015 - 7/31/2015
4 x 4 Addison Gallery of American Art , 9/1/2018 - 7/31/2019
Free Association: New Acquisitions in Context Addison Gallery of American Art , 9/1/2023 - 2/11/2024

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