Sky Totem

Louise Nevelson, Sky Totem, 1956, painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.67
Louise Nevelson, Sky Totem, 1956, painted wood, 70 3⁄4 x 9 1⁄2 x 5 1⁄2 in. (179.7 x 24.0 x 14.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.67

Artwork Details

Title
Sky Totem
Artist
Date
1956
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
70 3⁄4 x 9 1⁄2 x 5 1⁄2 in. (179.7 x 24.0 x 14.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract — geometric
Object Number
1986.6.67
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.67

Artwork Description

Louise Nevelson aimed at something that she called order, rightness, or spiritual essence. Early in her career, when materials and money were scarce, she roamed lower Manhattan looking for cast-off objects to use in her work, and during a 1950 trip to Mexico, she became intrigued with the spiritual symbolism of pre-Columbian sculpture. Sky Totem is a flattened tower made from pieces of molding and scrap wood. The monochromatic black surface echoes the awe-inspiring totemic forms of ancient Mayan, African, and Northwest Coast cultures.


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Works by this artist (3 items)

Sydney Butchkes, Kentucky, from the United States Series, 1948, paper on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.40
Kentucky, from the United States Series
Artist
Date1948
paper on paper
Not on view
Sydney Butchkes, Napeague, 1969, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sydney Butchkes, 1970.71
Napeague
Artist
Date1969
acrylic on canvas
Not on view
Sydney Butchkes, Kentucky, from the United States Series, 1948, paper collage on paper mounted on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.39
Kentucky, from the United States Series
Artist
Date1948
paper collage on paper mounted on paper
Not on view

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