Triple N Gyratory III
Artist: George Rickey (American, 1907-2002)
Date: 1988
Dimensions:
H: 15 ft, 8 in. (477.5 cm); W: 19 ft. (579.1 cm); Radius: 15 ft. 3 in. (403.9 cm)
Medium: Stainless steel.
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchased with funds given in memory of Larry Thompson by his children and grandchildren
Object number: 2000.39
Label Text:George Rickey devoted his career to investigating the poetic possibilities of movement. In his words, “Control of weight and balance—and also time—gives me a means of expression comparable to color for a painter or sound for a composer.” Triple N Gyratory III is an example of kinetic art, or art with moving parts. Each of the sculpture’s three N-shaped elements is so carefully counterweighted and balanced on bearings that even a gentle breeze will set it in motion. This introduces the element of random chance in the sculpture’s movement. When all three “N”s move simultaneously, the resulting pattern is visually compelling, even meditative.
On view
In Collection(s)