A look at: Richard Serra - master of sculptural minimal way

School or life: The work of an artist can be viewed from many sides, from many aspects, and you can follow many purposes with this approach. However, one basis remains useful for every occupation with an artist, namely to have the most important facts about this artist at a glance:

Richard Serra was born on November 2, 1939 and died in New York on March 26, 2024 at the age of 85.

The complete name of the controversial but undisputedly successful US sculptor is Richard Anthony Serra , Anthony after his father.

The impressive minimalist sculptures of him, which are mainly made of untreated steel, are inspired by abstract expressionism and often positioned in public locations, where they are exposed to natural corrosion. The central factory statement from Serra -

I don't think art has the task of pleasing "

- embodied his determined position and found both approval and criticism. One of his most prominent works was "The Matter of Time" , a walkable installation of seven monumental steel sculptures in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (2005), which invited visitors to lose themselves in their form - an authentic pilgrimage of the senses.

"Band" (2006) is another of his most famous public works of art and once again demonstrates his championship in shape and space. in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) , the 4 meter high steel band, which runs in the museum area and enables an interaction between sculpture, viewer and the surrounding area. This exhibition in the Lacma symbolizes Serra's ability to transform rooms into immersive experiences.

Serra was one of the most important sculptors of the present, whose monumental sculptures and meaningful etchings have redefined our interaction with space and shape in a deeply physically experienced form. For the viewer there was a dynamic dialogue of public art with its surroundings.

Place of birth, parents, youth

Richard Serra was born in San Francisco as the second son of a Russian-Jewish mother and a Spanish father, a third son followed. Serra took care of the three sons at home, his father worked as a pipe layer in a shipyard. As an adult, Richard Serra said that his visits to the shipyard had an impact on his later work as an artist.

Although he was born in San Francisco, Serra spent his life and career in New York and at the North Fork of Long Island.

Vocational training and training as an artist

His first stop was the University of California in Berkeley, from which he moved to the University of California in Santa Barbara. There he acquired a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.

He then studied painting at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he acquired both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts.

In 1968 he began to exhibit with Leo Castelli , and the following year he had his first solo exhibition in New York City, which was presented in Leo Castelli Warehouse. In 1970 he had his first museum exhibition, which took place in the Pasadena Art Museum in the state of California.

The way to your own style

Serra met the "minimal art" and the "Arte Povera" (installation art from everyday materials) and experimented with various materials such as rubber and glass .

During his studies, he had worked in a steel mill and was fascinated by the metal . Back in New York, he quickly turned back to this material.

In 1966 Serra met various American minimally art artists and their works in New York. These liked to use industrial material such as aluminum, steel and concrete , entirely according to Richard Serra's taste.

Serra now developed in the same direction. processing of liquid lead, he attracted the first attention , the "splashing" or "castings" .

The artistic breakthrough

Serra arrived at the height of the minimal art movement in New York and was one of the most important artists of this style in Contact Us . He was enthusiastic about the straightforward and precise sculptures of this first generation of minimalists. They were assigned to the “design artists” Donald Judd , Robert Morris and Mark Di Suvero, who brought simple industrial material into a uniquely pleasing form.

Serra wanted to further develop the work of the "old fathers of minimalism" in his sense. His goal was a ruthless expansion of minimalism , in which the preferred material can develop a new design language.

With his favorite material steel, he should soon succeed. His filigree plate tube constructions, such as the "One Ton Prop (House of Cards)" and the "Two Plate Prop", already caused first in the art world.

Soon the works of art grew until Richard Serra with "Pulitzer Piece: Stepped Elevations" the first sculpture for public space and with the "Circles" ( "To Encircle Base Plate Hexagram" 1970, "Spoleto Circles" 1972) presented the first accessible sculptures for public space.

Famous works of art by Richard Serra

Serra had found his style. Today there are accessible large sculptures by Richard Serra in many places:

• The "Berlin Block for Charly Chaplin" and the "Berlin Junction" in Berlin
• "The Matter of Time" in Bilbao, Spain
• The "Terminal" in Bochum
• The "Viewpoint" in Dillingen
• The "Bramme for the Ruhr area" in Essen
• The "Blade Runners" in Miami Beach
• The "Tilted Arc" (until 1989) and "Intersection II" in New York

In addition, there are many time -bound projects such as "The Drowned and the Saved" (1993 for the Stommogel Synagogue) or the "Promenade" for Monumenta 2008 in Paris, and Richard Serra's creativity is far from exhausted, as the steel art of the "Blade Runners" from 2009, which is shaped in new quality, shows.

Another remarkable work of art is the installation in DIA: Beacon in the United States. This installation creates a connection between the imposing steel structures and industrial architecture of the museum, which causes a variety of experiences that are directed both internally and outside. This work illustrates the interest of Serra in the matter of the space of the room and the locomotion of the viewer within the same.

The international presence of Serra may be illustrated most impressively by her art installation "East-West/West Eeast" in Qatar. In a natural passage that extends between the limestone plateaus in the Brouq Nature Reserve, this sequence of four solid steel plates runs over a distance of more than one kilometer. It crosses the gap that separates two continents from each other. The work of art serves as evidence of the skills of Serra to integrate works of art into different natural and cultural environments.

Serras etchings

In addition to its imposing sculptures, Serras also demonstrate etchings , such as "Transversal # 4" from 2004 and "Extensión # 2 ″ from the same year, its intensive examination of the matter and the creative process. These enormous prints, which result from the strong pressing of thick colored pencils by sieves on hand -made paper, provide insight into the haptic characteristics and The physicality of his creative approach.

They offer a more personal and closer contrast to its sculptural works of art and encourage the audience to think more intensely about the complex connection between the surface, depth and shape.

The signature of his art

Richard Serra signatures even have a whole “signature series” . Serra does not need to sign his steel works of art, every person with rudimentary art recognizes immediately created by him.

What kind of art does Richard Serra do?

Richard Serra is one of the sculptors , he just processes a slightly different material than an "ordinary sculptor". But he can do even more: there are paintings and drawings and print graphics and artistic films and videos .

What art style is Richard Serra for?

With his sculptural work, Richard Serra is attributed to the minimal art and Process Art . Serra himself does not like to be attributed to an art style or an art form, he is more concerned with overcoming traditional art styles.

Important companions of Richard Serra

Richard Serra moved to New York when the first generation of a minimal way celebrated her most outstanding success. These artists-the minimalist sculptor Donald Judd, the inventor of concept art Sol Lewitt, the concept artists Walter de Maria and Bruce Nauman , the minimal art artist Carl Andre, Robert Morris and Mark di Suvero, the country artist Robert Smithson and the process art artist Eva Hesse-met Serra in New York. The protagonists of the “Minimal Music” , Philip Glass and Steve Reich, and film artist Robert Fiore were also part of his circle of acquaintances and accompanied and influenced his work.

Outstanding in the life's work of Richard Serra

Richard Serra is one of the artists who, as one of the first to put the viewer's perception. They aligned their work according to this perception, which is a fundamentally different approach, approach the creation of a work of art.

In addition, the championship is outstanding that Richard Serra developed in the processing of "his" material - no other artist can make steel so soft, so emotionally, so dynamic.

Important exhibitions and awards from Richard Serra - an overview

Richard Serra took part in Documenta twice (1972 and 1977) and exhibited in the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York, which showed a great retrospective of his works in 2007. In total, it was exhibited around 300 times in the USA, 150 times in Germany and 50 times each in France and Spain and also had numerous other exhibitions in other places. Serra received some significant awards in Germany z. B. the Goslarer Kaiserring and the "Pour Le Mérite".

Two retrospectives by Richard Serras sculptures and drawings took place every twenty years in the Museum of Modern Art in New York: Richard Serra/Sculpture (1986) and Richard Serra Sculpture: Forty Years (2007). Both exhibitions were recognized and praised.

He had individual exhibitions in the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1977–78); Kunsthalle Tübingen, Germany (1978); State Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Germany (1978); Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands (1980, 2014 and 2017); Center Pompidou, Paris (1983–84); Museum Haus Lange, Krefeld, Germany (1985); Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek, Denmark (1986); Westphalian State Museum for Art and Cultural History, Münster, Germany (1987); Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich (1987); Stedelijk van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Netherlands (1988); Bonnefant Museum, Maastricht, Netherlands (1990); Kunsthaus Zurich (1990); Capc Musée d'Art Contemporain, Bordeaux, France (1990); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (1992); Art collection North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf, Germany (1992); Dia Center for the Arts, New York (1997); Centro de Arte Hélio Oiticica, Rio de Janeiro (1997–98); Trajansmarkt, Rome (1999–2000); Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St. Louis (2003); and Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Naples, Italy (2004).

The Matter of Time (1994–2005) found a permanent home in the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao, Spain in 2005. The impressive location-related installation entitled Promenade was presented during the monumenta celebrations in 2008 in the Grand Palais in Paris. After a period of three years, the large -scale sculpture 7 permanently established in Doha, Qatar, directly opposite the Museum of Islamic Art.

In 2011 and 2012, a significant hiking exhibition, which was dedicated to Serra's drawings, took place in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The exhibition was also seen in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and in the Menil Collection in Houston. The Menil Collection served as a central location for coordination. In 2014, the Qatar Museum Authority carried out a comprehensive retrospective examination of Serra's work, with East-West/West-Eeate (2014) being permanently presenting in the Brouq Nature Reserve in Zekret, Qatar. This exhibition was created in cooperation with the Qatar Museum Authority.

Richard Serra: Props, Films, Early Works was an exhibition that took place in the Museum Wiesbaden in Germany in 2017. In addition, an overview of Serra's film and video work was shown in the Kunstmuseum Basel, while new drawings were presented in the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum.

Serra took part in numerous important international exhibitions, including the Documenta (1972, 1977, 1982 and 1987) and the Biennale Di Venezia (1980, 1984, 2001 and 2013), and his work was in many Whitney Annuals and Biennals (1968, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1995 and 2006). He was honored with numerous prestigious prices, including the Leone d'Oro for his life's work at the Biennale di Venezia in 2001; the Order Pour Le Mérite for Sciences and Arts of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2002; the order de las artes y las letras de españa from Spain in 2008; The President's Medal of the Architectural League of New York in 2014; The Chevalier de L'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur of the Republic of France in 2015; Finally, the J. Paul Getty Medal was awarded him in 2018.

Since 1983, the Gagosian more than forty solo exhibitions of Serras Kunst in the United States and Europe.

Richard Serra in Germany

The Serra artwork, which was created Ruhr area It is a bramming that measures a height of 15 meters and has a weight of 70 tons. In steel production, a Bramme is considered a single workpiece that is continuously processed in a horizontal position until it is rolled into a thin sheet metal made of stainless steel. Serra extracts the Bramme from this practice and raises the maid of the heavy industry to the main character of his artistic representations.

In the city of Dillingen an der Saar there is a sculpture that symbolizes and represents the city's central aspect of life. An arrangement of upright and curved sheets made in the Dillinger Hütte forms semi -circles that are not in Contact Us . A freshly furnished area that is never entered, but is only bypassed.

The paradox of the never recorded perspective is a fascinating phenomenon that confuses many people. Serra's important works have been produced in Germany for many years. Using a machine that was once used for the production of the outer shell of submarines, it now works under enormous pressure. It brings the steel plates from Serra to the desired shape in centimeters.

The artist's lifestyle

Richard Serra has lived in New York since 1966, since the late 1970s and to this day in a former factory building in the Tribeca district. He has also had an old farm house in Canada for a long time, where he spends some time every year.

Scandals around Richard Serra

Richard Serra triggered a scandal in Berlin in 1998: In the (second, the first one was already an accident), he presented competition for the Holocaust memorial together with Peter Eisenmann, which was perceived by many as "not tame enough".

The Zauderers prevailed, the then Chancellor Kohl was asked for intervention and intervened, Richard Serra retired. Supposedly for personal reasons. The Berlin daily newspapers nevertheless suspected a reaction to the influence from outside.

The artist's private life

Richard Serra is married to art historian Clara Weyergraf-Serra and has no children.

What does a work of art by Richard Serra cost?

Enough, one could say that a sculpture of his will hardly be available below one million dollars. If you don't have them at hand, you could get a Serra print graphic, which is already available for something between $ 2,000 and $ 20,000.

A quote from Richard Serra to his art

There are of course many of Richard Serra, here one for people with a penchant for vandalism, or for young artists who have not yet chosen their material:

My work is real very hard to Hurt. I Mean People Sit on It, Write On It, Piss On It, You Really Can't Hurt It. "

(My work is really difficult to damage. I mean, people sit on the sculptures, write on them, pee on them, they really can't harm them.)

The artist's current ranking

Richard Serra is in 2025 "Artists No. 35 in the World" on the bestseller list of art of artfacts.net .

Richard Serra to watch and buy

• Richard Serras German (European) Gallery: M-Bochum.de
• Richard Serra in the Gagosian Gallery: gagosian.com/artists/ichard-serra/
• Buy works by Richard Serra at van Ham: van-ham.com/de/kuenstler/ichard-serra.html

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

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