Born: November 2, 1938, San Francisco, California, USA
Nationality: American
Style: Postminimalism, Process Art, Sculpture
Influences: Minimalism, industrial processes, phenomenology
"To remove the work is to destroy the work."
Notable Artwork
Tilted Arc (1981)
About Richard Serra
Born: November 2, 1938, San Francisco, California, USA Nationality: American Style: Postminimalism, Process Art, Sculpture Influences: Minimalism, industrial processes, phenomenology Major Exhibitions: “Tilted Arc” (1981), “Splashing” (1968), “Casting” (1969) Quote: “To remove the work is to destroy the work.”
Notable Artwork: Tilted Arc (1981)
Tilted Arc was a 120-foot-long, 12-foot-high, curved wall of Cor-Ten steel installed in Federal Plaza in New York City. The work was highly controversial and was eventually removed after a public hearing.
Significance
While Serra’s early work shares some affinities with Minimalism (large scale, industrial materials), Tilted Arc exemplifies Postminimalist concerns with site-specificity, the viewer’s experience, and the social and political context of art. The work’s imposing presence and its disruption of the public space forced a confrontation with the role of art in the urban environment. Splashing, Casting, and his “prop” pieces are also very characteristic of his early Postminimalist work.