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

Robert Therrien

American, 1947-2019

No title (silver pitcher), 1985

tin on bronze

overall: 60 x 29 x 29 inches (152.4 x 73.66 x 73.66 cm)

Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

The Panza Collection and George B. and Jenny R. Mathews Fund, by exchange, George B. and Jenny R. Mathews Fund and Charles Clifton Fund, by exchange, 2008

2008:53.65

More Details

Class

Sculpture

Work Type

Cast (sculpture)

This information may change due to ongoing research. Glossary of Terms

Robert Therrien takes inspiration from household items such as oilcans, keyholes, dinner plates, bowls, beds, tables, chairs, and even snowmen. He transforms them into predominantly large-scale sculptures that evoke wonder and memory. In his work, Therrien approaches ordinary things from a whimsical perspective and entices us to do the same. In choosing to appropriate everyday objects that are deeply rooted in American culture, Therrien is able to evoke memories that are ambiguous, yet familiar. While his work is often associated with Pop art or Minimalism, Therrien is not concerned with inciting social commentary or stripping these objects of their contexts. Instead, his imagery is rooted in the collective unconscious.

Label from For the Love of Things: Still Life, February 27–May 29, 2016