Study for Gate
Robert Adams
Life Story
In 1964 the sculptor Robert Adams was commissioned to create a gate for a private residence in Dallas, USA. He produced related studies in this period that explore different configurations of connected rods in an open rectangular frame. In this freestanding example, Adams varies the density of the cellular clusters, some of which project outwards.
In his final design for the Dallas gate, Adams used a double layer of connected rods. The two webs were joined at the vertical sides of the gate and opened out in the centre. Adams continued to explore this form and produced a similar screen for his own home in 1965. [1]
Lisa Newby, August 2022
[1] Alastair Grieve, Robert Adams 1917-1984: A Sculptor’s Record (London: Tate Gallery, 1992) p.45, 47.
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.
