Untitled

ca. 1960

American, 1908-1997

Falkenstein makes openwork sculptures that recall webs, filigrees, or naturally occurring tangles. This piece employs wires of different gauges, much as a drawing might rely on lines of differing thicknesses. The wires share no common origin, and they move chaotically. From a distance the parts function as an ensemble, coalescing into an organic nucleus or cosmos. Solders become visual focal points within the tumbling mass of abstract lines. Falkenstein befriended Mark Tobey (the original owner of this work) in Paris and recognized a kinship with his unconventional approach to volume and structure.

Welded metal

48 x 48 x 10 in. (121.9 x 121.9 x 25.4cm)

Estate of Mark Tobey

96.70

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington,Seattle Art Museum, Collection Highlights: 1945 to the Present, Sept. 12, 1996 - June 1, 1997.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Reverberations: Contemporary Art and Modern Classics, Dec. 22, 2022 - ongoing.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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