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Richard Serra

Rolled and Forged

May 6–August 11, 2006
555 West 24th Street, New York

Richard Serra, Elevations, Repetitions, 2006 (view 1) Weatherproof steel, 60 × 366 × 6 inches (152.4 × 929.6 × 15.2 cm)

Richard Serra, Elevations, Repetitions, 2006 (view 1)

Weatherproof steel, 60 × 366 × 6 inches (152.4 × 929.6 × 15.2 cm)

Richard Serra, Elevations, Repetitions, 2006 (view 2) Weatherproof steel, 60 × 366 × 6 inches (152.4 × 929.6 × 15.2 cm)

Richard Serra, Elevations, Repetitions, 2006 (view 2)

Weatherproof steel, 60 × 366 × 6 inches (152.4 × 929.6 × 15.2 cm)

Richard Serra, Equal Weights and Measures, 2006 Forged weatherproof steel, 51 × 63 × 75 inches each (129.5 × 160 × 190.5 cm)

Richard Serra, Equal Weights and Measures, 2006

Forged weatherproof steel, 51 × 63 × 75 inches each (129.5 × 160 × 190.5 cm)

Richard Serra, No Relief, 2006 Weatherproof steel, 1 @ 72 × 716 × 6 inches (82.9 × 1818.6 × 15.2 cm), 1 @ 57 × 716 × 6 inches (144.8 × 1818.6 × 15.2 cm)

Richard Serra, No Relief, 2006

Weatherproof steel, 1 @ 72 × 716 × 6 inches (82.9 × 1818.6 × 15.2 cm), 1 @ 57 × 716 × 6 inches (144.8 × 1818.6 × 15.2 cm)

About

Gagosian is pleased to present five new sculptures by Richard Serra.

Amongst Elevations, 2006, weatherproof steel
Round, 1997, forged weatherproof steel
Equal Weights and Measures, 2006, forged weatherproof steel
No Relief, 2006, weatherproof steel
Elevational Mass, 2006, hot rolled steel

Weight is a value for me, not that it is any more compelling than lightness, but I simply know more about weight than lightness and therefore I have more to say about it, more to say about the balancing of weight, the diminishing of weight, the addition and subtraction of weight, the concentration of weight, the rigging of weight, the propping of weight, the placement of weight, the locking of weight, the psychological effects of weight, the disorientation of weight, the disequilibrium of weight, the rotation of weight, the movement of weight, the directionality of weight, the shape of weight. I have more to say about the perpetual and meticulous adjustments of weight, more to say about the pleasure derived from the exactitude of the laws of gravity. I have more to say about the processing of the weight of steel, more to say about the forge, the rolling mill, and the open hearth. 
—Richard Serra

Serra’s rolled, planar works are concerned with division, elevation, and passage, whereas the forged works deal primarily with weight, density, and mass. Serra’s desire to involve the viewer with his work parallels his desire to create works that respond to a specific site. His large indoor installations are built within the context of the architecture, their scale and placement determined by the size and shape of the room and by the limitations of weight load and access to space. The massive steel structures alter and reshape one’s perception of space. As only parts of these works can be seen from any one vantage point, they require that time be spent walking, looking, anticipating, and remembering. As the viewer moves in, around, and through them, they change configuration with every step. Their meaning unfolds through one’s constantly changing physical experience of them and the space that they occupy.

Anna Weyant’s Two Eileens (2022) on the cover of Gagosian Quarterly, Winter 2022

Now available
Gagosian Quarterly Winter 2022

The Winter 2022 issue of Gagosian Quarterly is now available, featuring Anna Weyant’s Two Eileens (2022) on its cover.

Richard Serra: Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Alina Ibragimova

Richard Serra: Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Alina Ibragimova

Violinist Alina Ibragimova performs Bach’s Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1 in G Major: Adagio (BWV 1001, c. 1720) from within Richard Serra’s sculpture Transmitter (2020) at Gagosian, Le Bourget. Organized by Bold Tendencies, a nonprofit organization that commissions artists to produce site-specific projects and present performances, in collaboration with Gagosian, this recorded performance took place on May 8, 2022 before a live concert of Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time, 1941).

Richard Serra: Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Mario Brunello

Richard Serra: Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Mario Brunello

Cellist Mario Brunello performs Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major: Prelude (BWV 1007, c. 1717–23) within Richard Serra’s sculpture Transmitter (2020) at Gagosian, Le Bourget. Organized by Bold Tendencies—a nonprofit that commissions artists to produce site-specific projects and present performances—in collaboration with Gagosian, this recorded performance took place on May 8, 2022, before a live concert of Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time, 1941).

Black square

From Richard Serra: Trevor Noah’s Message Against Racial Injustice

In response to enduring racial injustices and the recent widespread civil unrest, Richard Serra urges people to watch this video commentary by Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show.

Richard Serra, Hands Scraping, 1968, film still.

The Art of Perception: Richard Serra’s Films

For eleven years, from 1968 to 1979, Richard Serra created a collection of films and videos that felt out the uncharted phenomenological boundaries of the medium. Carlos Valladares explores a selection of these works.

The cover of the Fall 2019 Gagosian Quarterly magazine. Artwork by Nathaniel Mary Quinn

Now available
Gagosian Quarterly Fall 2019

The Fall 2019 issue of Gagosian Quarterly is now available, featuring a detail from Sinking (2019) by Nathaniel Mary Quinn on its cover.