Hublot

Copied Bret Price, Hublot, 2005, painted steel with chromed aluminum base, 27 1⁄8 x 23 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄4 in. (68.8 x 59.8 x 15.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James F. Dicke Family in honor of George Gurney, 2011.41

Artwork Details

Title
Hublot
Artist
Date
2005
Location
Dimensions
27 1⁄8 x 23 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄4 in. (68.8 x 59.8 x 15.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the James F. Dicke Family in honor of George Gurney
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted steel with chromed aluminum base
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
2011.41
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2011.41

Artwork Description

Standing just over two feet in height, Hublot is one of Bret Price’s smaller steel sculptures. Employing the same method he uses to create his monumental outdoor pieces, Price applied intense heat with an industrial burner to soften the steel, bending it with tools and customized machines to achieve the desired shape. He then sandblasted the steel to remove mill scale and burnt pieces. Paint is applied to protect the sculpture from rust, although the artist leaves some pieces untreated because that “can be beautiful, [too].” Price almost always titles his work after its completion, and he likes to include humor in the title whenever possible. Hublot means “porthole” in French, evoking images of a ship’s tiny window. (Jay Boylan, Illusion of Flexibility; Dialogue with Doti and Dodge, artist interview by Chapman University, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, 18 July 2010)