Untitled (Primary Title)
Robert Morris, American, 1931 - 2018 (Artist)
“A direct investigation of the properties of these materials is in progress . . . Considerations of gravity become as important as those of space. The focus on matter and gravity as means results in forms which were not projected in advance. . . . Random piling, loose stacking, hanging, give passing form to the material.” —Robert Morris
Morris began his series of felt works in 1967, shortly after becoming known for simple, rigid, boxlike sculptures that helped define minimalism. His soft, flexible sculptures signaled a new emphasis on process rather than object—a style, called Anti-Form, that many of his peers also embraced.
Morris made this visually complex work simply by cutting eleven slits in a thick rectangular sheet of industrial felt, then hanging it on the wall at eye level. Gravity determines the final composition, which changes somewhat whenever the work is re-installed. Partly hanging and partly resting, it bridges wall and floor, the realms of painting and sculpture. Its pliable material, slits, and bulges suggest the body.
Perspectives on the Permanent Collection: Robert Morris, Virginia Musuem of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, April 23 - June 2, 1991
Robert Morris: The Felt Works, Grey Art Gallery and Study Center, New York University, New York, NY, May 16 - July 14, 1989
Contemporary Art Acquisitions from Sydney and Frances Lewis, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, January 16 - March 4, 1979
Contemporary Selections, Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX, October 9 - November 30, 1975
Alexandria Chapter, February, 1973
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