Where to find Richard Serras sculptures in Southern California
Kaitlyn Huamani March 27, 2024
Acclaimed artist and sculptor Richard Serra was known for his massive works of steel that live in
museums, exhibitions, galleries institutions and public spaces
across the world. The influential sculptor died Tuesday at age 85, but his work and his legacy of challenging audience
s
perspectives lives on.
In a 1998 interview with The Times, Serra emphasized that even he couldnt give an
formal
explanation or interpretation of his work.
I can tell you formally about them. I cant tell you how to interpret them, he said. The subject matter of these pieces is your ability to decipher what is going on, either psychologically or emotionally or formally. I think the content is your ability, or lack of ability, to figure out your relationship to the space.
Serras work can be found all over the world, from New York City to Qatar, but much of the San Francisco natives art can be found closer to home at museums and galleries. Here is a guide to Serras towering structures and artwork in Southern California.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is home to two of Serras well-known sculptures, Band and Inverted House of Cards. Band, which was installed in 2006, is a massive structure, standing 12 feet
high tall
and more than 70 feet long.
The description of the sculpture on
says it could be Serras magnum opus, Referred to as Serra’s
,
with its vast and wavy, ribbon-like pattern and 183 tons of steel
,
Band took
over more than
two years to create and install
, and . It
has become a popular attraction at LACMA because viewers can walk through its four expansive cavities and explore the sculpture up close, from within.
LACMA also boasts Serras Inverted House of Cards, which
Serra created came
nearly 40 years before Band in 1969. Inverted House of Cards is the counterpart of Serras House of Cards, which he created in the same year. House of Cards, displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, features four steel plates standing in an open, cube-like shape, with the plates leaning against one another to support the structure. Inverted House of Cards accomplishes the opposite, with four steel plates forming a cross-like shape and holding each other up with their strategic placement.
Eli and Edythe Broad Art Center at UCLA
Serras first public sculpture in Southern California was installed in the plaza of UCLAs Eli and Edythe Broad Art Center in 2006 as a part of the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden. The sculpture, titled T.E.U.C.L.A. , is a part of one of Serras best-known series, Torqued Ellipse, and like much of his work, it is welded in Cor-
t
en steel.
The oval-like shape features an opening large enough for passersby to walk inside the 42.5-ton sculptures walls. This makes the sculpture an
interactive immersive
experience that the campus community can engage in, whether that means going inside to
see appreciate
the sheer volume of the sculpture on a campus walk
,
or hosting a musical performance from within its walls.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa
In 2006, Serra created “Connector,” a 65-feet-high, 360-ton
, pentagonal
sculpture made of weathered steel
in a pentagonal shape
. Like many of the steel structures Serra worked with, the five plates
that make up composing
the structure were fabricated in Germany and shipped to the site of the installation for assembly.
Elizabeth and Henry Segerstrom
commissioned the artist to create the sculpture
as a way to mark the as the focal point for the newly expanded
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, formerly known as the Orange County Performing Arts Center. In signature Serra style, visitors are encouraged to walk around and through the towering structure.
Santa Fe Depot/Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego
In 2004, Serra installed six cube-like structures outside of the historic Santa Fe
Train
Depot at the Museum of Contemporary Art
in
San Diego. The structures, titled Santa Fe Depot, are
arranged staggered
on the railroad loading platform
in a staggering pattern
, alternating from left to right. The cubes are made of weatherproof steel, weighing a collective 156 tons.
While T
he Museum of Contemporary Art is selling its downtown San Diego location
, ;
it is unclear
how these what will happen to the
immovable structures
will factor into the sale
.
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los AngelesIn a departure from his mammoth sculptures, One of Serras minimalist prints , a departure from his mammoth sculptures, is on display at MOCA. The untitled piece from 1976 features a large black circle on white paper . and Serra used ink, paint sticks and crayons to create the print. An untitled piece from 1976 on display at MOCA consists of a trapezoidal plate made of weatherproof steel that weighs 1,300 pounds.Gemini G.E.L . , West Hollywood
Serra worked at the Gemini G.E.L.
printshop and
artists workshop for decades and made many of his prints
while working
there. A group of eight of his notebook drawings are currently on display at Gemini until April 5. The exhibition features etchings that have dark black shapes on
a
white background
,
and speak to his minimalist style. The drawings, created in 2023, are some of Serras last works.
