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作为 2026-10-21 12:48:12
George Rickey (1907-2002) Column of Eight Open Triangles, 1982 Stainless steel with plastic grate, oscillating fan, and electronic hardware, unique sculpture 72-3/4 x 20 x 17-1/2 inches (184.8 x 50.8 x 44.5 cm) Signed, dated, and inscribed on bottom triangle: Top / Rickey 1982 Each triangle inscribed with order of placement PROVENANCE: Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California; Private collection, Santa Ana, California, acquired from the above, 1982; By descent to the present owner, Albuquerque, New Mexico. EXHIBITED: Art Center of South Beth, Indiana University at South Bend, Saint Mary's College, and the Snite Museum of Art University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, "George Rickey in South Bend," September 8-October 20, 1985. LITERATURE: Art Center of South Bend, George Rickey in South Bend, exhibition catalogue, South Bend, Indiana, 1985, p. 20. NOTE: This sculpture is listed in the George Rickey Foundation database and will be included in the catalogue raisonné. The foundation notes that the built-in fan is rare and believes this may be the only known example. A remarkable synthesis of geometry, movement, and light, George Rickey's Column of Eight Open Triangles exemplifies the artist's pioneering approach to kinetic sculpture. Executed in stainless steel in 1982, the unique work transforms a rigorous architectural vocabulary of eight triangular forms into an ever-changing composition animated by air and motion. Rickey regarded movement as an essential element of sculpture. Here, the triangular forms shift independently along a central axis, continually altering their relationships to one another. Light catches the stainless-steel surfaces differently with each movement, creating fleeting reflections and shadows and ensuring that the sculpture is never visually identical from one moment to the next. The work's mechanical sophistication is particularly notable. A built-in oscillating fan activates the sculpture, an exceptionally rare feature that the George Rickey Foundation believes may be unique among known examples. The integration of mechanical and electronic components underscores Rickey's distinctive fusion of engineering and aesthetics. The sculpture also embodies Rickey's fascination with the balance between order and chance. Its precise structure provides stability, while the movement of the individual triangles introduces variation and unpredictability. Air, light, and time become active participants in the composition. Column of Eight Open Triangles has an exceptional history, having been acquired from Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco in 1982 and remaining in the same private collection before passing by descent to the present owner. It was exhibited in George Rickey in South Bend in 1985 and is listed in the George Rickey Foundation database for inclusion in the artist's catalogue raisonné. More than a sculpture that moves, Column of Eight Open Triangles is a sculpture in time—where geometry becomes animation, engineering becomes poetry, and the invisible force of air is made visible through form. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice
Art Center of South Beth, Indiana University at South Bend, Saint Mary's College, and the Snite Museum of Art University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, "George Rickey in South Bend," September 8-October 20, 1985.
Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California; Private collection, Santa Ana, California, acquired from the above, 1982; By descent to the present owner, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Full condition report available upon request. Heritage does not guarantee working order of electronic components.