Conceptual artist Sol LeWitt passed away at the age of 78 last Saturday. The Nelson-Atkins has several wonderful pieces by LeWitt in our contemporary art collection. The following entry is from the Museum’s 1999 publication Modern Sculpture at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, An Anniversary Celebration. James Martin wrote:
“Sol LeWitt first came to art-world prominence in the 1960s as one of the pioneers of Conceptual art, which considers the idea behind an art work more important than the object itself. LeWitt’s grid like works are also frequently associated with the geometric forms of Minimalists such as Carl Andre and Donald Judd.
The Museum’s 1 3 5 7 9 11 was commissioned for the Parker-Grant Gallery (Gallery 208 in the existing Nelson-Atkins Building. It is now closed for renovation).
The concept of each LeWitt sculpture is evident in its appearance. For example, 1 3 5 7 9 11 is based on the measurement unit of one cube. The sculpture’s top section is one cube wide; the next section is three wide, followed by a section five cubes wide and so on. The height of each section follows a related logic; the bottom section is one cube high, followed above by sections that are two, three, four, five and six cubes high.”
1 3 5 7 9 11 has been reinstalled in a special gallery in the Bloch Building along with a piece titled Complex Forms. Both of these structures will be on view when the Bloch Building opens June 9.