Martin Puryear
November 4, 2007–January 14, 2008
The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium, second floor
The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Exhibition Gallery, sixth floor
The Museum of Modern Art presents a major exhibition of the sculpture of the acclaimed American artist Martin Puryear (b. 1941). The retrospective will feature approximately forty-five sculptures, following the development of Puryear's artistic career over the last thirty years, from his first solo museum show in 1977 to the present day. Puryear began his career in the 1970s alongside other members of the Post-Minimalist generation. Working primarily in wood, he has maintained an unwavering commitment to manual skill and traditional building methods. His sculptures are rich with psychological and intellectual references, examining issues of identity, culture, and history. The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication illustrating all works in the exhibition, with additional reference illustrations of the artist's works and other comparative material.
Organized by John Elderfield, The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture.
The exhibition is sponsored by CIT and by Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro.
Major support is provided by The Friends of Education of The Museum of Modern Art.
Additional funding is provided by the George and Joyce Wein Foundation.
The exhibition is sponsored by CIT and by Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro.
Major support is provided by The Friends of Education of The Museum of Modern Art.
Additional funding is provided by the George and Joyce Wein Foundation.
Martin Puryear. Bower. 1980. Sitka spruce and pine, 64" x 7' 10 3/4" x 26 5/8" (162.6 x 240.7 x 67.6 cm). Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. Museum purchase made possible through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, Alexander Calder, Frank Wilbert Stokes, and the Ford Motor Company. Photograph by Richard Barnes. © 2007 Martin Puryear
Related Publication
Martin Puryear
John Elderfield. Essays by Michael Auping, John Elderfield, and Elizabeth Reede. Interview with Martin Puryear by Richard Powell