Fred Sandback

American, 1943-2003

Untitled (Sculptural Study, Four-part Vertical Construction)

Fred Sandback (American, 1943–2003). Untitled (Sculptural Study, Four‑part Vertical Construction), ca. 1982/2004. Red acrylic yarn, 24 x 96 inches (61 x 243.8 cm) with variable height. Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Albert H. Tracy Fund, by exchange, 2007 (2007:17a-d). © 2017 Fred Sandback Archive.

© Fred Sandback Archive

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

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© Fred Sandback Archive

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Fred Sandback Archive

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Untitled (Sculptural Study, Four-part Vertical Construction), ca. 1982/2004

Artwork Details

Materials

red acrylic yarn

Measurements

overall, width x depth (height variable): 24 x 96 inches (60.96 x 243.84 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Albert H. Tracy Fund, by exchange, 2007

Accession ID

2007:17a-d

Fred Sandback’s installations simultaneously transform and are transformed by the areas they inhabit; the height of the ceiling and the size and color of the room greatly contribute to each work’s overall effect. In 1967, Sandback created a groundbreaking composition by simply using string and wire to outline the shape of a twelve-foot-long two-by-four plank on the floor. Shortly thereafter, he decided that he preferred to use yarn because it creates a softer line and absorbs light. Lacking the mass or weight typically associated with sculpture, each of Sandback’s “drawings in space” invites the viewer to perceive the simplicity of the form in its entirety. The experience of seeing Untitled (Sculptural Study, Four-part Vertical Construction) may evoke the feeling of passage or doorways. This impression of open space reflects Sandback’s desire to make works of art that do not have an inside. He has said, “My work is full of illusions, but they don’t refer to anything.”

Label from Drawing: The Beginning of Everything, July 8–October 15, 2017

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