Lillian Elliott, Structured Form, about 1988, rattan, coconut palm midribs, and waxed linen thread, 39 x 12 1⁄2 x 10 in. (99.1 x 31.8 x 25.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Theodore Cohen in memory of his mother and her sisters: Rose Melmon Cohen, Blanche Melmon, Mary Melmon Greenberg and Fanny Melmon Liberman, 1998.122.7
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Structured Form
- Artist
- Date
- about 1988
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 39 x 12 1⁄2 x 10 in. (99.1 x 31.8 x 25.4 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Theodore Cohen in memory of his mother and her sisters: Rose Melmon Cohen, Blanche Melmon, Mary Melmon Greenberg and Fanny Melmon Liberman
- Mediums Description
- rattan, coconut palm midribs, and waxed linen thread
- Classifications
- Object Number
- 1998.122.7
Artwork Description
In Floor Basket, the artist wove just enough of a structure to enclose an empty space. It is an example of Lillian Elliott's desire to create objects that appeared to be drawn in the air. The gestural strands of rattan at the top suggest the organic energy of the materials, as though the fibers were at an unfinished state of weaving themselves into a vessel. After Elliott died of cancer, her collaborator Pat Hickman wove a similar basket, Lost in Translation, to memorialize the creative energy of her friend.