Lemon/Ruby/Blue Vertical Group
Artist
Harvey K. Littleton
(American, 1922 - 2013)
CultureAmerican
Date1989
MediumBlown, cased, cut, and polished glass
Dimensions25 1/2 x 19 x 20 in., 75 lb. (64.8 x 48.3 x 50.8 cm, 34 kg)
Credit LineGift of the Mowbray Arch Society, 1993
Object number93.45
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThis is an eight-part glass sculpture in barium/potash formula glass with multiple cased overlays in clear colors; sawn, cut and polished. There are four large vertical members and four smaller members.Label TextHarvey K. Littleton American, 1922–2013 Lemon/Ruby/Blue Vertical Group, 1989 Blown, cased, cut, and polished glass Gift of the Mowbray Arch Society, 1993 93.45 Lemon/Ruby/Blue Vertical Group, one of a series created in the 1980s, consists of eight alternately large and small pieces of glass assembled in a circle. The sculpture's bent shapes emphasize the fluidity of glass, while the cut and polished ends reveal a cross-section of concentric circles, made up of multiple layers of clear, cased glass with color overlays. The fluid forms and expressive asymmetrical grouping of the work are typical of Harvey Littleton's emphasis on minimalism and the non-functional aspects of glass. Initially trained as a ceramist, Littleton is considered a pioneer in the Studio Glass Movement. In 1962, he conducted two landmark workshops at the Toledo Museum of Art, bringing glass out of the traditional factory setting and into the artist's studio. In 1963, he established the first university glass curriculum at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, forging an avenue for the use of glass as a sculptural material and influencing generations of teachers and artists. Exhibition History"North Carolina Glass '90", Western Carolina University, The Art Gallery, Cullowhee, NC, January 28 - March 2, 1990; Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC, March 17 - May 27, 1990; Fayetteville Museum of Art, Fayetteville, NC, June 3 - July 22, 1990; Craven Arts Council and Gallery, New Bern, NC, August 12 - September 22, 1990; Glaxo Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, October 8 - November 30, 1990. Published ReferencesJoan Falconer Byrd, NORTH CAROLINA GLASS '90 (Cullowhee, NC: Western Carolina University, 1990), 20. Ann Wright, "Sculpture Sparkles at the Chrysler," _The PortFolio Weekly_, February 1, 1994, ill. S15 (b/w). Martha Drexler Lynn, _Sculpture, Glass, and American Museums_ (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005), 36-43. Jeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007), 147, fig. 186. ISBN: 978-0-940744-72-1 Diane C. Wright (editor), _Glass Masterworks from the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2017), pg. 174-175.
2000
