Nike

Kenneth Campbell, Nike, 1964, gray marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.13A-B
Copied Kenneth Campbell, Nike, 1964, gray marble, overall: 42 x 9 1⁄2 x 12 1⁄4 in. (106.7 x 24.2 x 31.2 cm.) top: 23 7⁄8 x 9 1⁄2 x 12 1⁄4 in. (60.7 x 24.2 x 31.2 cm.) base: 21 5⁄8 x 7 1⁄2 x 8 3⁄4 in. (55.0 x 19.1 x 22.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.13A-B

Artwork Details

Title
Nike
Artist
Date
1964
Location
Dimensions
overall: 42 x 9 1⁄2 x 12 1⁄4 in. (106.7 x 24.2 x 31.2 cm.) top: 23 7⁄8 x 9 1⁄2 x 12 1⁄4 in. (60.7 x 24.2 x 31.2 cm.) base: 21 5⁄8 x 7 1⁄2 x 8 3⁄4 in. (55.0 x 19.1 x 22.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
gray marble
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
  • Mythology — classical — Nike
  • Allegory — other — triumph
Object Number
1986.6.13A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.13A-B

Artwork Description

Kenneth Campbell “sees” the final image within each piece of stone before starting to work, and rarely deviates from this initial idea. He never uses power tools, but prefers to have direct contact with the materials. Campbell manipulates the stone to give an appearance of weightlessness, by balancing huge pieces at apparently impossible angles. Nike may have been inspired by the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a Hellenistic Greek sculpture that depicts the goddess Nike as she descends from flight.