Martin Puryear (American, born 1941) Untitled, 1997 Copper, 65 x 54 1/2 x 48 1/2" Sarah Norton Goodyear Fund, 1997

Some sculptors are interested in making very simple, large objects, such as cubes and rectangles. Sculptors who did this were called Minimalists, and they first became known in the 1960s and 1970s. Minimalist sculptors reduced works to the simplest possible shapes and made them very large. Martin Puryear loved the idea of large, simple shapes. He was also interested in hand-crafted, useful items such as jewelry, furniture, and religious objects, that he had seen made in his travels to Africa, Sweden, and Japan. His artwork combines both. This untitled sculpture is unusual for Martin Puryear, because much of his artwork is made of wood.