American, 1905-1970
Here III, 1965-66 Stainless and Cor-Ten steel, 123 7/8 x 23 1/2 x 18 5/8 in. (314.6 x 59.7 x 47.3 cm.)
Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, Dallas, Texas
1985.A.10
Label Text
Newman is best known as a painter of abstract compositions organized around a central stripe, or "zip," that signified for him a profound state of being at one with a higher reality. With Here III, Newman renders his central motif three dimensional, making the singular zip, with all its lofty significance, part of our spatial realm. The stainless steel beam appears to rest lightly on its platform, held in place by a carefully drawn weld. Similarly, the slight lift of the base off the ground belies the massiveness of the Cor-Ten steel, as the entire object seems to float improbably. The effect is one of lightness and ascension, evoking the sculpture's spiritual significance.