Bird in Space

Liz Larner, Bird in Space, 1989, nylon cord, silk thread, stainless steel, approx. 12 x 28 3⁄4 x 19 ft., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Susan and Leonard Nimoy and museum purchase in part through the Gene Davis Memorial Fund, 2002.46, © 1989, Liz Larner

Artwork Details

Title
Bird in Space
Artist
Date
1989
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
approx. 12 x 28 3⁄4 x 19 ft.
Copyright
© 1989, Liz Larner
Credit Line
Gift of Susan and Leonard Nimoy and museum purchase in part through the Gene Davis Memorial Fund
Mediums Description
nylon cord, silk thread, stainless steel
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
2002.46
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2002.46

Artwork Description

Larner wove two curving planes of fibers that define the space around them in different ways, depending on where the viewer stands. Her work makes us reconsider what sculpture is. There is no weight, no solid mass, and no pedestal. The title refers to an abstract work by Constantin Brancusi from the 1920s, a sleek metal shape that seems to rise from its marble base, breaking free of old notions of sculpture.

Larner's installation finishes what Brancusi started. Instead of a self-contained object, we see a shifting form that appears to be taking off and dissipating in the air. The nylon and silk threads are like lines drawn through space, as though an idea jotted down in a sketchbook had materialized, however briefly, in the gallery.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006

Works by this artist (1 item)

Liz Larner, Bird in Space, 1989, nylon cord, silk thread, stainless steel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Susan and Leonard Nimoy and museum purchase in part through the Gene Davis Memorial Fund, 2002.46, © 1989, Liz Larner
Bird in Space
Artist
Date1989
nylon cord, silk thread, stainless steel
Not on view

Videos

Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0.00%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected

      Three decades after creating Bird in Space, Liz Larner discusses her 1989 work—a sculpture made from nylon, silk, and steel—in reference to Constantin Brâncuși's sculpture of the same name from the 1920s. Finishing what Brâncuși started, Larner's sculpture is an ethereal work whose lines seem to float in space.

      More Artworks from the Collection

      Browse All Artworks
      Jesús Moroles, Lapstrake I, 1980, Georgia gray granite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alton and Emily Steiner, 2002.82
      Lapstrake I
      Artist
      Date1980
      Georgia gray granite
      Not on view
      John Safer, Chandelle, 1969, revised 2013, Lucite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2007.23
      Chandelle
      Artist
      Date1969, revised 2013
      Lucite
      Not on view
      Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Shell), early 1930s, mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, 1985.64.37
      Untitled (Shell)
      Artist
      Dateearly 1930s
      mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells
      Not on view
      Emery Blagdon, The Healing Machine, ca. 1955-1986, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and gift of Dan Dryden, friend of Emery Blagdon, the Kohler Foundation, Inc., and John E. and Douglas O. Robson, from the Margaret Z. Robson Collection, VR.2014.49.GRP
      The Healing Machine
      Artist
      Dateca. 1955-1986
      mixed media
      On view