University of California, Berkeley (attended) University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A. 1961) Yale University (B.F.A. 1962, M.F.A. 1964)
Movement
Postminimalism, Process Art
Spouses
Nancy Graves
(m. 1965; div. 1970)
Clara Weyergraf
(m. 1981)
Bramme for the Ruhr-District, 1998 at EssenSea Level (South-west part), Zeewolde, Netherlands
Richard Serra (November 2, 1938 – March 26, 2024) was an American artist known for his large-scale abstract sculptures made for site-specific landscape, urban, and architectural settings, whose work has been primarily associated with Postminimalism. Described as "one of his era's greatest sculptors", Serra became notable for emphasizing the material qualities of his works and exploration of the relationship between the viewer, the work, and the site.[1]
Serra pursued English literature at the University of California, Berkeley, before shifting to visual art. He graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1961, where he met influential muralists Rico Lebrun and Howard Warshaw. Supporting himself by working in steel mills, Serra's early exposure to industrial materials influenced his artistic trajectory. He continued his education at Yale University, earning a B.A. in Art History and an M.F.A. in 1964. While in Paris on a Yale fellowship in 1964, he befriended composer Philip Glass and explored Constantin Brâncuși's studio, both of which had a strong influence on his work. His time in Europe also catalyzed his subsequent shift from painting to sculpture.
From the mid-1960s onward, particularly after his move to New York City in 1966, Serra worked to radicalize and extend the definition of sculpture beginning with his early experiments with rubber, neon, and lead, to his large-scale steel works. His early works in New York, such as To Lift from 1967 and Thirty-Five Feet of Lead Rolled Up from 1968, reflected his fascination with industrial materials and the physical properties of his chosen mediums. His large-scale works, both in urban and natural landscapes, have reshaped public interactions with art and, at times, were also a source of controversy, such as that caused by his Tilted Arc in Manhattan in 1981. Serra was married to artist Nancy Graves between 1965 and 1970, and Clara Weyegraf between 1981 and his death in 2024.
^Smith, Roberta (March 26, 2024). "Richard Serra, Who Recast Sculpture on a Massive Scale, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
RichardSerra (November 2, 1938 – March 26, 2024) was an American artist known for his large-scale abstract sculptures made for site-specific landscape...
-74.0036694 Tilted Arc was a controversial public art installation by RichardSerra, displayed in Foley Federal Plaza in Manhattan from 1981 to 1989. It...
(2017–2022) (b. 1983) Richard Phelan, 86, politician, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners (1990–1994) (b. 1937) RichardSerra, 85, sculptor (b...
Numbers sculptures and his original Love sculpture; numerous works by RichardSerra; the Alamo sculpture in Manhattan, NY; the Barclays Center, Brooklyn...
meters wide and 130 meters long (98 ft × 427 ft). In 2005, it housed RichardSerra's monumental installation The Matter of Time, which Robert Hughes dubbed...
July 2021, Glenstone announced a purpose-built expansion to house RichardSerra's large-scale sculpture Four Rounds: Equal Weight, Unequal Measure (2017)...
Houdini, Nicole Baker, and Johnny Cash respectively in Cremaster 2. RichardSerra and Aimee Mullins portray Hiram Abiff and Sadhbh respectively, in Cremaster...
playwright. Richard Phelan, 86, American politician, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners (1990–1994), cancer. RichardSerra, 85, American...
are represented by artists: Andy Goldsworthy, Walter De Maria, Richard Long, RichardSerra, Robert Irwin, George Rickey and Christo and Jeanne-Claude led...
Serra called a "sprawling shack." Serra has two younger brothers: RichardSerra, a prominent sculptor, and Rudy Serra, also a noted artist. Richard paid...
applied by Pincus-Whitten to the work of Eva Hesse, Keith Sonnier, RichardSerra and new work by former minimalists Robert Smithson, Robert Morris, Sol...
hiking and cycling trails. A modern sculpture by the American artist RichardSerra is located on this passage. The artwork represents an L-shaped steel...
art, in contrast to the machine or custom-made works of minimalism. RichardSerra is a prominent post-minimalist. In its general musical usage, "postminimalism"...
Morris Senga Nengudi Susan Mohl Powers Xavier Roberts Faith Ringgold RichardSerra Marjorie Strider Lucy Sparrow Do-ho Suh Martha Nelson Thomas Megan Whitmarsh...
New York's industrial Chelsea. Richard Gluckman designed the 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) gallery in which RichardSerra presented the monumental sculpture...
its landscape and nature art. The best-known art work is Sea Level by RichardSerra, located in the De Wetering landscape park. In the Hulkesteinse forest...
Yale. Hugo Boss Prize winner Matthew Barney, famed American sculptor RichardSerra, President Barack Obama presidential portrait painter Kehinde Wiley...
Rabinowitch, Arnulf Rainer, Dirk Reinartz, Ad Reinhardt, Robert Ryman, RichardSerra, Jan J. Schoonhoven; also the Africa and Asia Room. Nevelstraße 29c...
Arts program who are responsible in part for maintaining the piece. RichardSerra's Tilted Arc was a controversial installation under this program, whose...
camera and saw Noh, Bunraku and Kabuki theater — with the sculptor RichardSerra. Her video performances between 1972 and 1976 pared the cast down to...
Beach Island, Word Location (1969, sculpture, a collaboration with RichardSerra) The Late Great Johnny Ace, coda to the song from Paul Simon's Hearts...
Smith, Mark di Suvero, Henry Moore, Douglas Abdell, Isamu Noguchi, RichardSerra, and Louise Nevelson. It also includes large sculptures by contemporary...
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