Bo Diddley
Artist: Richard Serra (American, 1939 - 2024)
Publisher: Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl
Date: 1999
Dimensions:
Overall: 48 1/16 x 47 1/2 in. (122 x 120.7 cm)
Medium: One color etching on Somerset Satin 850 grain paper
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Frederick B. and Kate L. Shoemaker Fund
Object number: 2000.5
Label Text:"Black is a property, not a quality. In terms of weight, black is heavier, creates a larger volume, holds itself in a more compressed field."
Bo Diddley is part of a body of work known as “Rounds,” that includes 15 massive prints. Richard Serra spent nearly 12 months conceiving and printing these etchings at the Los Angeles based artists’ workshop, Gemini G.E.L. Although known for his powerful, large-scale sculpture, Serra invests his two-dimensional prints with the same aggressive force as his three-dimensional works.
Serra named each of the etchings in the series after musicians, such as Bessie Smith, B.B. King, Al Green, and legendary bluesman and rock pioneer Bo Diddley (1928–2008). The titles allude to the vibrant rhythm and expressive surface texture of the etchings, as well as to their heroic scale. These larger than life figures are bursting with a combination of raw power and artistry that joyfully draws the viewer in. Gravity is overcome as the dense black forms swirl and splatter in all directions, defying the edges of the page.
Bo Diddley is part of a body of work known as “Rounds,” that includes 15 massive prints. Richard Serra spent nearly 12 months conceiving and printing these etchings at the Los Angeles based artists’ workshop, Gemini G.E.L. Although known for his powerful, large-scale sculpture, Serra invests his two-dimensional prints with the same aggressive force as his three-dimensional works.
Serra named each of the etchings in the series after musicians, such as Bessie Smith, B.B. King, Al Green, and legendary bluesman and rock pioneer Bo Diddley (1928–2008). The titles allude to the vibrant rhythm and expressive surface texture of the etchings, as well as to their heroic scale. These larger than life figures are bursting with a combination of raw power and artistry that joyfully draws the viewer in. Gravity is overcome as the dense black forms swirl and splatter in all directions, defying the edges of the page.
Not on view
In Collection(s)