Triple N Gyratory III

Artist George Rickey (American, 1907-2002)

Date1988

DimensionsH: 15 ft, 8 in. (477.5 cm); W: 19 ft. (579.1 cm); Radius: 15 ft. 3 in. (403.9 cm)

MediumStainless steel.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds given in memory of Larry Thompson by his children and grandchildren

Object number

2000.39

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Sculpture Garden

Label TextGeorge 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.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, Inspired Giving: The Apollo Society 25th Anniversary Exhibition, October 15, 2010-February 13, 2011, p. 6, repr. (col.) p. 7.