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Night Zag Wall

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Night Zag Wall

Artist (1899 - 1988)
Date1969-1974
MediumPainted wood
Dimensions108 x 144 x 10 1/2 in. (274.3 x 365.8 x 26.7 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2008.23
Accession number 2008.23
On View
Not on view
Collections
Provenance(Pace Gallery, New York, NY); purchased by Private Collection, 1977; to (Sotheby's, New York, NY), November 12, 2008, lot 149; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2008
Label TextBy gathering small pieces of discarded wood together and arranging them meticulously within an irregular grid-like structure, Louise Nevelson allowed herself to explore formal relationships between dissimilar elements. While each piece of wood in Night Zag Wall has its own history, Nevelson united them by painting the whole work black, tying together disparate objects into a cohesive and monumental composition. She explained, “When I fell in love with black, it contained all color. It wasn’t a negation of color. It was an acceptance.”

Al reunir pequeñas piezas desechadas de madera y ponerlas meticulosamente dentro de una estructura de grilla irregular, Louise Nevelson explora las relaciones formales que existen entre elementos disímiles. Si bien cada pieza de madera en esta obra tiene su propia historia, Nevelson las une al pintar toda la obra de negro, ligando objetos dispares en una composición cohesiva y monumental. La artista explicó: “Cuando me enamoré del negro, entendí que contenía todo el color. No era una negación del color. Era una aceptación.”

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