Some sculptors in the 1980s continued to create works in the minimalist style of the 1960s. For example, Richard Serra, who was active in the 1960s and continued to work throughout the 1980s, is a true minimalist in that he "has always limited the number and variety of sculptural elements that he uses" (Saunders 152). A report from the late 1980s showed that Serra was continuing to work in this minimalist vein. Thus, it was noted that "he works with large square and round steel bars; flat planes; planes formed into sections of cylinders, cones and spheres; planes increasing in thickness until they must be regarded as wedge-shaped masses; and forged, roughly right-angled steel blocks" (152-153). An example of Serra's minimalist sculpture can be seen in Olson (Double Tilted Curves) (1985-1986). This work is a huge elliptical enclosure, made up of two tall steel plates in the shape of parentheses (155). The two steel plates are extremely narrow (2 inches in depth), yet tall and long (10 feet by 36 feet) (153). Another interesting minimalist sculptor in the 1980s was the American Martin Puryear. His work, Timber's Turns (1987), is an abstract structure made of mahogany, cedar, and Douglas fir, which stands approximately seven feet high. Another notable minimalist work by Puryear is his Ampersand (1987-1988), two huge granite columns which were erected at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.Higgins, Judith. "Britain's New 'New Generation.'" ARTnews 86 (Dec. 1987): 118-122. Cooke, Lynne. "Between Image and Object: The 'New British Sculpture.'" A Quiet Revolution: British Sculpture Since 1965. Ed. Terry A. Neff. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1987. 34-53. There were various other British sculptors in the 1980s whose work depended upon the influence of assemblage. These artists created "new objects from consumer and kitsch items and from nature's or manufacture's fragments" (Higgins 119). One such sculptor was Eric Bainbridge, whose Holemasters (19 |
