Night Leaf

Louise Nevelson, Night Leaf, 1969, plexiglas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1976.108.90
Copied Louise Nevelson, Night Leaf, 1969, plexiglas, 12 3412 342 14 in. (32.332.35.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1976.108.90

Artwork Details

Title
Night Leaf
Date
1969
Dimensions
12 3412 342 14 in. (32.332.35.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Woodward Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
plexiglas
Classifications
Highlights
Keywords
  • Abstract
Object Number
1976.108.90

Artwork Description

In the late 1960s, Louise Nevelson experimented with new techniques and materials, developing work in Plexiglas and Cor-Ten steel. Night Leaf displays an arrangement of opaque black boxes that contain variations of a simple leaf shape. Nevelson emphasized the contrast between nature and technology by using industrial techniques to illustrate an organic form. The rigid plastic transforms the leaf into a geometric and uniform shape, highlighted by the use of black.