Hanging Structure

Sol LeWitt

1 of 7

Object Label

Sol LeWitt, active from the 1960s, was a pioneer of Minimalism and Conceptual art. He often worked with simple geometric forms—particularly the cube—straight lines, and ninety-degree angles. Hanging Structure’s suspended three-dimensional grid, composed of identical, monochromatic units, is emblematic of this interest.

In contrast, Terence Koh, inspired by queer, punk, and DIY cultures, belongs to a 1990s generation whose work is more personally inflected. Embracing decay and ephemerality, Untitled (Vitrines) displays whitewashed objects collected from friends, lovers, Koh’s childhood, and flea markets, acting almost as a shrine preserving relics from his life. The sculpture departs significantly from LeWitt’s strict vision yet engages with the legacies of Minimalism and Conceptual art, exploring the possibilities of the grid and the monochrome and extending those formal considerations into the personal realm.

Caption

Sol LeWitt American, 1928–2007. Hanging Structure, 1993. Wood, pigment, 192 x 36 x 36 in. (487.7 x 91.4 x 91.4 cm) Other (Component No. 2): 96 x 36 x 36 in. (243.8 x 91.4 x 91.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Jill and Jay Bernstein, 2016.35. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Image courtesy of the donor, CUR.L2011.2_view4_donor_photograph.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Hanging Structure

Date

1993

Medium

Wood, pigment

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

192 x 36 x 36 in. (487.7 x 91.4 x 91.4 cm) Other (Component No. 2): 96 x 36 x 36 in. (243.8 x 91.4 x 91.4 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Jill and Jay Bernstein

Accession Number

2016.35

Rights

© artist or artist's estate

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Frequent Art Questions

  • Why are these paired?

    I love the juxtaposition of those two works. Both have grid-like formats but the Terence Koh is so individual and emotional, filled with objects that have personal meaning for him, while the Sol LeWitt is purely conceptual and makes us think about space and volume in an almost mathematical way.

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