NEW YORK—From September 6 to October 4, 2003, Paula Cooper Gallery will present new work by Sol Lewitt as well as large-scale sculptures by Carl Andre, Robert Grosvenor, and Sol LeWitt.

On view in the front room of the gallery are new gouaches by Sol LeWitt. Horizontal Brushstrokes (More or Less), 2003, are composed of undulating and free-flowing lines that both reflect and capture notions of flux, chance, and the unfolding of time through space. Works on paper have been a central element of LeWitt’s art for more than four decades. In the 1990s especially, LeWitt started using gouache, an opaque water-based paint, to produce abstract works in contrasting colors, with titles such as Irregular Forms, Parallel Curves, or Squiggly Brushstrokes. These playful, dynamic pieces remain an important part of his work to this day.

A large-scale open cube structure by LeWitt is on view in the gallery’s large space. LeWitt’s first serial sculptures were created in the 1960s using the modular form of the square in arrangements of varying visual complexity. From the grid to the matrix, these configurations are composed of a serial repetition of equal units, where the initial square can be simultaneously perceived as a plane, a cube, a surface and an intersection. LeWitt’s sculptures incorporate space rather than occupy it, while visually and conceptually suggesting a potential spatial infinity.

Also on view is a floor sculpture by Carl Andre. Andre’s floor pieces have marked a crucial shift in the evolution of contemporary sculpture. Made of modular, interchangeable units held in place by their own weight, their horizontal dimension breaks with the tradition of vertical and monumental sculpture. Weathered Hendecaline, 2002, is composed of six units of weathered steel plates, and five units of copper plates. The installation articulates Andre’s idea of “sculpture as place;” the viewer can position himself or herself in the middle of the work of art. In Andre’s words: “My idea of a piece of sculpture is a road…we don’t have a single point of view for a road at all, except a moving one, moving along it.”

Facing the viewer entering the space is a sculpture by Robert Grosvenor. Grosvenor began his artistic career in 1960 first as a painter and then as a sculptor. In 1972, he started working with weathered timbers, subjecting them to strong impacts with the help of heavy equipment. The weight and impact imposed upon the wood were carefully monitored to create the desired effect of crack and erosion. During the mid ‘70s and early ‘80s, his sculptures were made of timbers compressed together, trimmed and coated with creosote and paint, creating an effect of particular density and a strong visual resonance. Grosvenor works on all the elements of his sculpture himself. He is often associated with the minimalists artists of his generation, notably since his participation in the exhibitions Primary Structures (Jewish Museum, 1966) and Minimal Art (Den Haag Gementemuseum, 1968). However, his work keeps a certain distance towards some of the principles underlying minimalism and eschews any given label.

In addition to this exhibition, a new wall drawing by Sol LeWitt is on view at 192 Books, 192 Tenth Avenue (at 21st Street), through September 20.

For more information, please contact the gallery: (212) 255-1105 or
info@paulacoopergallery.com