Richard Serra is acclaimed as one of the foremost living sculptors in the world. Between his permanent exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the 40 year retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, I’ve come to love and hate how his magnificent metal creations are displayed.
On my 2005 visit to Bilbao, Spain, Richard Serra's sculpture was unimpressive at first glance. The entrance to the room the Guggenheim built to house his monumental rusting metal undulations was nearly blocked by the massive wall of steel the first piece presented. Fortunately, our guide insisted we climb to the next floor to stand on the balcony projecting over the gallery.
From there I got a true picture of the size and complexity of the pieces that filled the huge space below me. That's when the magnitude of the show hit me. The room was designed in the same computer program as the sculpture, with each curving line of the room complimenting the waves of the art, the whole a yin and yang of symmetry, with one ending and the other beginning in a seamless artistic wonder. It was visually stunning!
I raced back down to the gallery entrance and wound my way into and through the eight sculptures, twisting, ducking, sometimes running, sometimes inching into the heart of each, until I was consumed by them. It helped that there were classes of school children running and yelling through them also, experiencing art with all the innocence and exuberance youth possesses, and spends so freely. We had unfettered access, touching, pounding and clapping our way around the big hall, the cacophony of sound and its echoes trilling and ringing, ululating in the bowels of Serra's visions. It was a remarkable experience.
Back home in the Hudson Valley I learned that there were Richard Serra sculptures at Dia:Beacon, and nothing but I had to go there to see them. I brought friends to share the experience, for what I remembered of the Guggenheim show I was sure would infect them. Unfortunately, I felt sad when I saw the tiny crowded room the Serra's were in, and sadder still when I caught sight of my friends' faces. The overall, impressive hugeness of the work just wasn't there. The geometric factory walls could barely contain them. I halfheartedly circled and entered the sculptures, suffocating in the claustrophobia of the tiny space while my friends looked on. We left disillusioned.
I had the opportunity to go to Bilbao again last Spring. I stayed in the new five star Silken Gran Hotel just across the street from the Guggenheim, feeling as if I could almost embrace the titanium wave of Frank Gehry's genius from my upper floor window, while a more-colorful-than-I-remembered huge flowered topiary, called Puppy, looked up at me as if to ask could I come out to play. Inside, the Serra's were as impressive as I remembered, but the mood had changed. It was a staider visit, with a 'most proper' guide whose penchant for organized lectures corralled us into a stiff knot tighter than her bun. There were no school classes, no students to free the art from her stifling words. I bristled at her restraining monotone in the face of such colossus.
Suddenly I was a teenager again, running, yelling, pounding on the sides of the sculpture, trying to liberate our group so they could truly experience the awe and wonder of these massive, but somehow feminine steel curves which begged to be caressed, massaged and sung to by a lover, not simply observed. It was a moment of unbridled joy. Then I was back in my 58 year old body. I was scolded and admonished by the staff, but envied by my fellow travelers. Most importantly, I was happy to again be surrounded by sculpture that has to be experienced by the young, or young at heart, to be understood.
Last year Serra's sculpture was displayed in Paris for everyone to touch & enjoy
Two seasons ago the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan had a retrospective of 40 years of Richard Serra's work throughout the facility, but principally in the new second floor gallery they built especially to house his magnificent sculpture. House? I should say tame, for the angularity of the gallery, without a balcony to show off the 'ribbon-candy' and 'figure-eight' curves of the new works only served to minimize the artist's brilliance. Sadly, it was an enforced "hands-off" exhibit, as if I could harm a forty ton piece of steel with my touch.
To see Richard Serra's monumental sculptures, go to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Experience them as they were meant to be experienced. And, when you go, I dare you to touch them.
interior Richard Serra photos copyright Bilbo Guggenheim Museum
Iberia Airlines
Spain Tourism
Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:
RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food. It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we’ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- I look forward to hearing from you.
You can read all of my articles http://rfrisbie.gather.com/ or find them with those of the other Food Correspondents, plus celebrity chef content and plenty of other Foodies at http://foodtalk.gather.com
BIO - Richard Frisbie writes culinary travel articles, is a columnist for his local newspapers, and is a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE publications, GoNomad and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.
JOIN MY GROUPS:
Everything About New York State http://aboutnewyork.gather.com/
Travel/Food/Wine BOOK Reviews http://tfwbookreviews.gather.com/
Food Videos Forum http://foodvideos.gather.com/
Join to see some of the kitchens and techniques you read about here at Gather
BLOG - http://www.bloglines.com/blog/rfrisbie
Where some of my Gather work and other things, primarily about New York State, appears.
BOOKSTORE - Specializing in New York State books since 1959 http://www.hopefarm.com
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 22
<center>
FreeCommentTags.Com</center>
I love interactive art. One of my favorite displays was the "fireflies" by Yayoi Kusama at the Phoenix Art Museum. My youngest and I giggled our way through that tiny LED lit space, wondering at at the marvelous adventure the artist had created there.
Thanks for the recent comment on the hypertufa article. I know that you would enjoy creating these - it reminds me of making bread in a big way! check out the links - esp the video.
Again, thank you for sharing Richard Serra's lovely works - the pictures are awesome!!! Salud
FYI - I just published an article called "Greening up small spaces" for elsewhere on the web. I'll post it here on gather after a suitable time.
Bilbao Spain Gastronomy Tour 2005
Kathryn - I don't know. Show him my photo here, or just ask if he saw a crazy man running through the exhibit yelling and pounding on the sculpture. I'm sure he'd remember if he did (smiling still)