1. Minimalism

2. Constructing Space
MoMA Minimalism Theme

3. “Even though it seemed it might collapse, it was in fact freestanding
“Even though it seemed it might collapse, it was in fact freestanding. You could see through it, look into in, walk around it, and I thought, ‘There’s no getting around it. This is sculpture.’”
– Richard Serra
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Reconsider your definitions of sculpture in relation to these works of art. How do they define space? How do they engage viewers in the space? 
This sculpture is titled One Ton Prop (House of Cards). Define the elements that compose the title: ton, prop, and house of cards.
What does each word or phrase suggest?
How do they relate to each other, and how might they relate to this work?
Of this work, Serra said: “Even though it seemed it might collapse, it was in fact freestanding. You could see through it, look into in, walk around it, and I thought, ‘There’s no getting around it. This is sculpture.’” How does Serra’s statement relate to your definition of sculpture? 
Richard Serra. One Ton Prop (House of Cards) (refabricated 1986).
Lead antimony, four plates, each 48 x 48 x 1" (122 x 122 x 2.5 cm). Gift of the Grinstein Family.
© 2012 Richard Serra/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Richard Serra. One Ton Prop (House of Cards) (refabricated 1986).
MoMA Minimalism Theme

4. Richard Serra. Equal (Corner Prop Piece). 1969-70.
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In what ways is One Ton Prop (House of Cards) similar to this other work by Richard Serra?
Richard Serra. Equal (Corner Prop Piece)
Lead antinomy, Plate 48 x 48 x 3/4" (122 x 122 x 2 cm), pole 7' 1/4" (210 cm) long x 4 3/4" (11 cm) in diameter.
Gilman Foundation Fund.
© 2012 Richard Serra / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Richard Serra. Equal (Corner Prop Piece)
MoMA Minimalism Theme

5. “Felt has anatomical associations…it relates to the body—it's skinlike
– Robert Morris
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Robert Morris was an innovator in tempering the hard-edged geometry of Minimalism with a literal softness. In works like this one, he used sheets of thick industrial felt and basic formal procedures (like a series of parallel cuts), followed by hanging, and then accepted whatever shape they took. In this way he left the overall configuration of the work to the medium itself, relinquishing his artistic control to gravity and inviting chance to play a role in creating a work of art.
The order and symmetry of the cut cloth is contradicted by the graceful sag at the top, which gives it some human qualities. "Felt has anatomical associations," Morris has said, "it relates to the body—it's skinlike."
Morris, who choreographed several dance performances based on the exploration of bodies in space in New York in the early 1960s, believes that the felt he used in his sculpture is “skinlike.”
Do you see any other relationships between this piece and the human body?
Robert Morris. Untitled
Felt, 15' 3/4" x 6' 1/2" x 1" (459.2 x x 2.5 cm).
The Gilman Foundation Fund.
© 2012 Robert Morris/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Robert Morris. Untitled
MoMA Minimalism Theme

6. Let’s compare Serra’s One Ton Prop (House of Cards) with Morris’s Untitled
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Compare and contrast Serra’s One Ton Prop (House of Cards) with Morris’s Untitled in terms of materials, lines, and shape. What role does gravity play in each of these sculptures?
Both Richard Serra and Robert Morris have likened the materials and forms of their artworks to the human body. Serra has related his Prop pieces, including One Ton Prop (House of Cards), to the body in terms of its reliance on balance and counterbalance, and he was inspired in part by experimental dance performances he saw in New York in the late 1960s.
Richard Serra. One Ton Prop (House of Cards) (refabricated 1986).
Lead antimony, four plates, each 48 x 48 x 1" (122 x 122 x 2.5 cm). Gift of the Grinstein Family.
© 2012 Richard Serra/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Robert Morris. Untitled
Felt, 15' 3/4" x 6' 1/2" x 1" (459.2 x x 2.5 cm).
The Gilman Foundation Fund.
© 2012 Robert Morris/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Richard Serra. One Ton Prop (House of Cards) (refabricated 1986).
Richard Serra. One Ton Prop (House of Cards) (refabricated 1986).
MoMA Minimalism Theme

7. Dan Flavin. pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns). 1963.
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As its title suggests, pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns) was made to be installed in a corner. When a viewer looks at the work for a sustained period of time in close proximity, the light creates the effect of a cylinder much wider than the tube itself. Made the year Flavin began to use commercially available fluorescent light tubes, (limited to what was commonly available at the time), this work marries color and light, bringing them into three dimensions. Flavin did not consider his works to be sculptures, because they consist not only of the physical object (the fluorescent tube) but also of the space illuminated by the light. When the light shining from the tube touches people or objects, it illuminates and colors these as well. Flavin’s work unites color with light and space, bringing color into three dimensions and transforming the surrounding space.
Dan Flavin. pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns)
Fluorescent light and metal fixture, 8' x 6" x 5 3/8" (243.8 x 15.2 x 13.6 cm).
Gift of Philip Johnson. © 2012 Estate of Dan Flavin/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Dan Flavin. pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns)
MoMA Minimalism Theme

8. This work is dedicated to Jasper Johns,
whose painting Flag also blurred the boundaries between real objects and their representation.
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This work is dedicated to Jasper Johns, whose painting Flag also blurred the boundaries between real objects and their representation.
Dan Flavin frequently dedicated his works to other artists. Before he devoted himself full-time to making art, he was a guard at The Museum of Modern Art. Do you think his dedications had anything to do with all the time he spent with great works of art in his museum job? 
Dan Flavin. pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns)
Fluorescent light and metal fixture, 8' x 6" x 5 3/8" (243.8 x 15.2 x 13.6 cm).
Gift of Philip Johnson. © 2012 Estate of Dan Flavin/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Jasper Johns. Flag. 1954–55 (dated on reverse 1954).
Encaustic, oil, and collage on fabric mounted on plywood, three panels, 42 1/4 x 60 5/8" (107.3 x cm).
Gift of Philip Johnson in honor of Alfred H. Barr, Jr.
© 2012 Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Dan Flavin. pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns)
Jasper Johns. Flag. 1954–55 (dated on reverse 1954).
MoMA Minimalism Theme

9. Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis. 1950-51.
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Dan Flavin’s early fluorescent works were influenced by the work of Abstract Expressionist painter Barnett Newman, who was known for his large color field paintings divided by vertical bands he called “zips.”
This painting, Vir Heroicus Sublimis, is nearly eighteen feet wide and envelops viewers with color. In what ways does Newman’s painting function similarly to Flavin’s fluorescent tubes?
Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis
Oil on canvas, 7' 11 3/8" x 17' 9 1/4" (242.2 x cm).
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Heller.
© 2012 Barnett Newman Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis
MoMA Minimalism Theme

10. Dan Flavin. pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns). 1963.
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Here the similarities between Flavin and Newman are hard to miss.
Dan Flavin. pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns)
Fluorescent light and metal fixture, 8' x 6" x 5 3/8" (243.8 x 15.2 x 13.6 cm).
Gift of Philip Johnson.
© 2012 Estate of Dan Flavin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Barnett Newman. Onement III
Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 33 1/2" (182.5 x 84.9 cm).
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Slifka.
© 2012 Barnett Newman Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Dan Flavin. pink out of a corner (to Jasper Johns)
Barnett Newman. Onement III
MoMA Minimalism Theme

11. Robert Smithson. Corner Mirror with Coral. 1969.
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Although Smithson was best known for his earthworks, sites in which he manipulated the natural landscape, Corner Mirror with Coral is an example of what he called a “non-site.” “Instead of putting a work of art on some land, some land is put into the work of art,” he said. Smithson’s non-sites sit directly on the floor of the museum rather than on pedestals. This was a huge break from tradition, instigated by Minimalist artists. In opposition to traditional museum display, the works become part of the viewer’s space rather than taking on a separate or elevated status.
This work is made from three square mirrors in a corner of a room—two perpendicular mirrors against each wall and one on the floor—and a small pile of pinkish-white coral. Given the shape of the coral’s reflection in the mirrors, what is the shape of the actual pile of coral?
Smithson acknowledged that viewers experience artworks with their bodies, not just with their sense of sight, and that their perceptions shift as they move through space. The reflections in Smithson’s mirrors change in direct relationship to the position of the viewer, so no two people experience it in precisely the same way.
Robert Smithson. Corner Mirror with Coral
Mirrors and coral, 36 x 36 x 36" (91.5 x 91.5 x 91.5 cm).
Fractional and promised gift of Agnes Gund.
Robert Smithson. Corner Mirror with Coral
MoMA Minimalism Theme

12. Share this information with your students:
Smithson is most well known for his earthworks, specifically Spiral Jetty. Can you find any similarities between Spiral Jetty and Corner Mirror with Coral?
Robert Smithson. Spiral Jetty. Rozel Point, Great Salt Lake, Utah. 1970
mud, precipitated salt crystals, rocks, water coil 1500' long and 15' wide Collection: DIA Center for the Arts, New York Photographer unknown
Robert Smithson. Spiral Jetty. Rozel Point, Great Salt Lake, Utah. 1970
MoMA Minimalism Theme