Maquette for On High

Alexander Liberman, Maquette for On High, 1978, welded and painted steel on steel base, 23 ⁵⁄₈ x 16 x 16 in. (60.1 x 40.6 x 40.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1980.49.9

Artwork Details

Title: Maquette for On High
Artist: Alexander Liberman
Date: 1978
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 23 ⁵⁄₈ x 16 x 16 in. (60.1 x 40.6 x 40.7 cm)
Credit Line: Transfer from the General Services Administration
Mediums: steel
Mediums Description: welded and painted steel on steel base
Classifications: Sculpture
Maquette
Subjects: Study — sculpture model
Abstract
Object Number: 1980.49.9
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1980.49.9

Artwork Description

This sculpture is a maquette for Alexander Liberman's immense steel sculpture in the plaza of the Robert Giamo Federal Building in New Haven, Connecticut. During the 1960s and '70s, the General Services Administration's Art-in-Architecture Program commissioned many large outdoor sculptures to enrich the social and cultural environments around new federal buildings. Liberman was selected for a commission in 1978 and created this small model, along with a full-scale mock-up of the piece, before beginning work on the final sculpture. He was inspired by Bramante's Tempietto, a High Renaissance circular temple in the courtyard of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome, and wanted to build a sculpture from elongated cylinders to create "a sense of verticality and awe."