American sculptor Richard Serra has died at the age of 85

American sculptor Richard Serra has died at the age of 85

Kyiv  •  UNN

March 27 2024, 06:33 PM • 26173 views

Renowned American sculptor Richard Serra, known for his monumental steel plate works, has died at the age of 85 at his home in New York City.

In his home in New York, March 26, Richard Serra died, - one of the most important artists of our time, who became known for his monumental works of steel plates. This is reported UNN, with reference to The New York Times.

Richard Serra, who intended to be a painter but instead became one of the greatest sculptors of his era (...) died Tuesday at his home in Orient, N.Y., on the North Fork of Long Island. He was 85 years old.

- reports the American edition, referring to the sculptor's lawyer John Silberman.

Serra was considered one of the most important sculptors of modern times - he created sculptures for over a hundred public spaces. He is best known for his giant curved sheets of oxidized steel, such as the 1,034-ton Case of Time series - his sculpture adorns the main hall of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

As a young man, Serra worked in steel mills to support himself. After his studies, he moved to New York in 1966 where he met other artists such as Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and Jasper Johns. Serra soon began experimenting with lead and steel.

Serra's sculptures grew larger, and over time the steel began to bend.

People reacted to the turns in a way they had never reacted to turns and straight lines before. They had never seen this before. People were ready for the turns

- he said.

 As time went on, more and more galleries and prominent museums around the world freed up huge spaces for Serra's sculptures.

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Serra also created large lead structures that he purposely did not fasten or weld - they seemed about to collapse.

"Works with supports," as the artist called them, encapsulated "a movement not yet begun" .

The sculptor's favorite material was Corten steel with artificial rust, which, as art historians explain, represented "a sign of the times.

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Serra also participated in the production of "sculptural films", among them: "The Hand that Catches Lead" (1968), "Scraping Hands" (1968), and "Bound Hands.

One of the artist's most recent works is the composition "East-West/West-East", which is currently in the Qatar desert and is made like a storyboard: rectangles spaced at regular intervals seem to step across the sands beyond the horizon.

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"I don't think the task of art is to give pleasure," Serra said.

He constructed his work in a similar way: big, heavy, uncompromising, contemporary art experts report about the great sculptor.

Several years ago, after repeated errors in diagnosing his tear ducts, Serra learned from doctors that he had cancer of the tear duct in his left eye. He was told the treatment was simple - the eye would have to be removed - but the prognosis was good. Usually undaunted and determined, Serra refused surgery that time.

According to official information, Richard Serra died of pneumonia.

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