One Fixed Four Jointed Lines Biased
One Fixed Four Jointed Lines Biased
Artist
George Rickey
(1907 - 2002)
Date1988
MediumStainless steel
Dimensions17ft. 4 in. x 16ft. 8 in. (528.3 x 508 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2009.15
Signedbase: 1/3 Rickey 1988
Accession number
2009.15
DescriptionKinetic sculptureOn View
On viewLabel TextLook up at this work to see if it’s moving. Kinetic sculptures—artworks that move—became the primary focus of George Rickey’s mature artistic practice. However, the motion here is not the result of a system of gears or electricity. Instead, the propulsion comes solely from nature, as the slightest breeze gently pushes the metal arms at varying speeds in ever-shifting, unpredictable directions. In this way, Rickey’s works are sometimes compared to leaves dancing on a tree.
Though trained as a painter, after serving in World War II as an engineer in the Army Air Corps, Rickey turned his attention to sculpture. However, as he transitioned to working in three dimensions, he still referred to his practice as “drawing in space.” Relying on natural forces to move and change, One Fixed Four Jointed Lines Biased retains the feeling of an improvisational sketch.
