Maquette for a screen
Robert Adams
Life Story
In the 1960s, the sculptor Robert Adams made an extensive series of works experimenting with the screen as a form. In this freestanding maquette, strong vertical lines are broken up with welded clusters of short steel rods. Designed to be seen from both sides, against a well-lit plain white background, the spaces between the rods become active elements of the composition.
Adams wanted to achieve a sense of controlled movement in his work, stating in 1966 that:
‘I am […] interested in contrasts between linear forces and masses, between solid and open areas […] the aim is stability and movement in one form’. [1]
Lisa Newby, August 2022
[1] Alastair Grieve, Robert Adams 1917-1984: A Sculptor’s Record (London: Tate Gallery, 1992) p.17.
Provenance
In October 1984, the University of East Anglia accepted a planned bequest from Joyce and Michael Morris (UEA Alumni). Michael died in 2009 and Joyce in December 2014 when the couple's wishes were implemented.
