Conversations about Sculpture, Paperback

The rhythm of the body moving through space has been the motivating source of most of my work.--Richard Serra

Drawn from talks between celebrated artist Richard Serra and acclaimed art historian Hal Foster held over a fifteen-year period, this volume offers revelations into Serra's prolific six-decade career and the ideas that have informed his working practice. Conversations about Sculpture is both an intimate look at Serra's life and work, with candid reflections on personal moments of discovery, and a provocative examination of sculptural form from antiquity to today. Serra and Foster explore such subjects as the artist's work in steel mills as a young man; the impact of music, dance, and architecture on his art; the importance of materiality and site specificity to his aesthetic; the controversies and contradictions his work has faced; and his belief in sculpture as experience. They also discuss sources of inspiration--from Donatello and Brancusi to Japanese gardens and Machu Picchu--revealing a history of sculpture across time and culture through the eyes of one of the medium's most brilliant figures.

Introduced with an insightful preface by Foster, this probing dialogue is beautifully illustrated with duotone images that bring to life both Serra's work and his key commitments.

Richard Serra is an internationally renowned artist, best known for steel sculptures that engage audiences through material, form, structure, and site specificity. He has exhibited widely since his first solo exhibition in 1966 and has work publicly sited in Amsterdam, London, San Francisco, Bilbao, Berlin, Qatar, and elsewhere. Serra has been awarded the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur and the J. Paul Getty Medal, among many other honors. Hal Foster is Townsend Martin, Class of 1917, Professor of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University. An award-winning author, his publications include Bad New Days, The Art-Architecture Complex, and The Return of the Real.