Serra

Please scroll through the Serra gallery to read my thoughts on the photographs.

It seems like I have known Richard Serra my entire life. Considering his first works of fiberglass and rubber were made in 1966 being just 2 years old it is quite possible.  At the time my mother was a gallery owner. She would have taken my brother, sister and I to any of the shows of interest that were going on in NYC.  Because of this, she never would have missed an up and comer like Serra.

In the early 1970s he started working with the steel he is best known for today.  Then in 1981 when I was just 17 I remember riding my bike down to Federal Plaza to see his “Tilted Arch.” I needed to see it for myself because it was getting so much negative publicity.  I loved it and if I looked through some of my images from the time, I probably have photographs of the piece on the plaza.

In the mid 1980s one his piece caved through the floor at The Gagosian Gallery severing a poor workman’s leg. We were living in our apartment on Bleecker Street by then just on the edge of SoHO.  It was quite a scene with helicopters buzzing overhead and the street filled with rescue vehicles.  Something I also photographed and have those photographs in my archives.

MoMA

One of the first shows Robin and I ever took our daughter too was Serra’s retrospective at MoMA in 2007 when she was just 5 years old. We took her because not only did we both loved his work, it is incredibly kid friendly.  Liberty loved walking and dancing through the pieces.  She was all of 3 feet tall and they were monoliths towering above her. What a day it was.

The Work

So you can see the huge influence that Richard Serra has had on me over the year. One day I photographed a huge steel construction plate being lifted onto a truck. When I manipulated the image I knew Serra’s work would be a perfect muse for me. With this in mind, I now seek it out on all my trips to museums and galleries.

This Spring Serra was showing at Gagosian’s multiple locations in NYC.  I couldn’t wait to photograph the shows and have not been disappointed by the results. The photographs took the weight of the steel and transformed it into light and lyrical images. There is no favorite image in this series. The results multiple pallets suitable for all locations.

Just this last week I saw new work at David Zwirner Gallery that reminded me of Monet’s haystacks.  It is amazing that something so heavy can feel so light. I can’t wait to see more. I need to get to DIA in Hudson.

Purchases

You can purchase any of these images by clicking here.