Sky Cathedral

Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral, 1982, painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1994.85A-AA
Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral, 1982, painted wood, overall: 104 3⁄8 x 288 3⁄8 x 15 3⁄4 in. (265.1 x 732.5 x 40.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1994.85A-AA

Artwork Details

Title
Sky Cathedral
Artist
Date
1982
Location
Dimensions
overall: 104 3⁄8 x 288 3⁄8 x 15 3⁄4 in. (265.1 x 732.5 x 40.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of an anonymous donor
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1994.85A-AA
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1994.85A-AA

Artwork Description

Can you identify any of the everyday objects in the black field of Sky Cathedral?

Louise Nevelson was an avid collector of objects, and she assembled various found wooden scraps--table legs, bannisters, rolling pins, milk crates, moldings, and other architectural fragments--to create her sculptures.

Although it's possible to see the shapes and outlines of these elements, they are absorbed into the large, uniformly painted black wall. Nevelson aimed to create a spiritual experience out of everyday objects, transforming them from the material to the immaterial. Sky Cathedral evokes what Nevelson called "the heavenly spheres, the places between the land and the sea" that lie beyond our experience of ordinary things.

Works by this artist (16 items)

View all artworks
Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral, 1982, painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1994.85A-AA
Sky Cathedral
Artist
Date1982
painted wood
On view
Louise Nevelson, Night Leaf, 1969, plexiglas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1976.108.90
Night Leaf
Artist
Date1969
plexiglas
On view
Louise Nevelson, World Garden Cabinet, 1959, painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.83
World Garden Cabinet
Artist
Date1959
painted wood
On view
Louise Nevelson, (Untitled #1), 1973, color aquatint and collage on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1973.181
(Untitled #1)
Artist
Date1973
color aquatint and collage on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Paul Manship, George McAneny, 1955, plaster mounted on wood base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1973.175
George McAneny
Artist
Date1955
plaster mounted on wood base
Not on view
Herbert Singleton, He Be the One, 1991, carved and painted wood and metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.86
He Be the One
Artist
Date1991
carved and painted wood and metal
Not on view
Eugenie Gershoy, Sleep, ca. 1925-1930, marble mounted in wood box, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1984.143
Sleep
Artist
Dateca. 1925-1930
marble mounted in wood box
Not on view
Paul Manship, Patriotism, 1955, bronze on marble and wood base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1965.16.20
Patriotism
Artist
Date1955
bronze on marble and wood base
Not on view