A Tribute to Kenneth Snelson by Marlborough Gallery

Cover image: Snelson with 4-Way Tower (1963) 2

A Tribute to

KENNETH SNELSON

Published on the occasion of the exhibition A Tribute to Kenneth Snelson organized by Marlborough Gallery, New York September 18 – November 6, 2021 Copyright © 2021 by Dale M. Lanzone, A Tribute to Kenneth Snelson Copyright © 2021 by Marlborough Gallery, New York All rights reserved. Used with permission. Photographs by Kenneth Snelson copyright © The Estate of Kenneth Snelson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. First Edition ISBN 978-0-89797-333-5

A Tribute to

KENNETH SNELSON Essay by Dale M. Lanzone Photography by Kenneth Snelson

www.marlboroughnewyork.com

Table of Contents

A Tribute to Kenneth Snelson Essay by Dale M. Lanzone

List of Plates

Plates

Exhibition History

List of Collections

Selected Bibliography

Snelson with Needle Tower, Texas, 1968 8

The intellectual urgency that inspired the Modernists can still be felt in the work of Kenneth Snelson who, for the last five decades, has been engaged in a series of investigations into the structures of nature, the points of convergence between science, mathematics, and art, and the continuity between the micro and macroscopic realms. Snelson’s sculptures create a dynamic equilibrium in which all parts are necessary for the structure to hold. Snelson likes to think of his works as analogues of the larger cosmos where everything is in motion and, in a telling metaphor, he sees the steel or aluminum rods that cross without touching as akin to planets which pass by each other in their orbits without making contact. Eleanor Heartney in Kenneth Snelson, Forces Made Visible (Hard Press Editions, 2009)

Snelson at Black Mountain College, 1949

A Tribute to Kenneth Snelson

I first became aware of Kenneth Snelson’s structures as sculptures while in graduate school at the California College of the Arts in 1967. At the time I was most interested in objects that were not about something but were in total the thing itself, with minimalism being the contemporary key to that interest. Ken’s sculptures were minimal in the sense that they consisted of what was physically necessary to contain a specific structure’s tension and compressive energy in a set of formal relationships. To control the combined tension and compressive energies of a structure in order to create a specific design or arrangement of forces was Ken’s lifelong intellectual and aesthetic pursuit—to this end, his seminal invention of the patented tensegrity structure at twenty-one years of age was an illustration of his natural genius. Imagine a twenty-one-year-old Kenneth Snelson arriving at Black Mountain College to study painting with Joseph Albers and, through happenstance, engaging with a young Buckminister Fuller. Together, they develop a soda straw “jitterbug” structure, a precursor to tensegrity. He then goes off on summer vacation and returns to Black Mountain in the autumn with Wood X-Column, the first endoskeletal floating-compression structure—what we now call tensegrity structure—a wholly new, uncharted structural system. 11

To the viewer, the physical magic of a Kenneth Snelson sculpture arises in large part from the weightless gravity-defying character of the metal tubes improbably floating in space, strung between and supported by a complex net of stainless-steel cables. The sculptures are perceptually transfixing in much the same way that the views of the Grand Canyon or across Yosemite Valley to Half Dome are—no interpretation is required to bring the viewer to attention. The back story of Ken’s art is extremely interesting and speaks to the very nature and power of invention, but in the end, the physical presence of the works, their otherness and purity of purpose renders them impervious to the abrasive effects of style, fashion, and possibly time itself. Fuller embraced Ken’s invention, called a press conference and announced tensegrity to the world. Now, seventy-three years after Fuller’s introduction of tensegrity, Ken’s sculptures span the globe with some forty-five monumental structures in important permanent public venues. Uniquely, Ken became the master of the medium he invented, with his interest in the complex questions surrounding the structure of the universe leading him to engage in ongoing correspondence with quantum physicists and authors such as Isaac Asimov, about Ken’s own ideas regarding the underlying structure of the atom. Ken had written extensively on the subject and developed models that gave physical form to an otherwise inconceivable quantum structure at the subatomic level. These pursuits both delighted and frustrated Ken; the frustration coming from facing the inherent impossibility of finding a

means, outside of mathematics, to represent the fundamental quanta architecture of the universe in the form of visual representation. Although known primarily for these complex inquiries in sculpture and related patented design technologies, Ken cultivated a body of work in photography that grew out of a lifelong personal connection with the medium. His father, Jack Snelson, realized his dream of owning a camera store in Pendleton, Oregon in 1933, amidst the nadir of the Great Depression. By the mid-thirties his shop was stocked with all of the top-of-the-line brands of the day: Leica, Kodak, Rolleiflex, and Voigtlander. In a few short years the Snelsons had become the resident photographers of Pendleton, with its famous rodeo, the Pendleton Roundup. This childhood familiarity with photographic equipment and processes was stirred on various occasions in the 1970s, upon his encountering vintage cameras at photo-swaps. Ken’s New York City panoramas were made using a vintage 1917 16-inch Cirkut camera, one of only thirty ever made. “Each image is really about my love of New York, an affair that goes back sixty years when I first moved to Manhattan in 1950,” Ken wrote in 2011. “Seeing New York as it was thirty or so years ago in these pictures…it’s clear that great changes have happened to the face of the city. My aim wasn’t especially to make historical records, yet all pictures become so as time passes. My primary interest in all of my panoramas is to discover an unexpected order in reconstructing the location and its geometry, as if to transform an Earth globe into a cartographic projection; a new map of a known landscape.”

I always considered Ken’s panoramic photographs as investigations into the structure of vision, touching upon how our occipital lobes process and structure visual information. Ken created non-digital photographic images that structure visual data in ways that the occipital lobes cannot. In so doing his panoramas create a somewhat visually disorienting experience as the mind and eye try to understand and meaningfully organize the presented picture. Over the years I had the pleasure of working with Ken in the development of many exhibitions and large-scale sculptural projects. He loved seeing his sculptures “come to life,” a descriptive phrase he often used to define the moment the last tension cable was cinched into place, radiating thousands of pounds of combined compressive/ tension energy through every cable and tube. At that moment, the sculpture would fully realize its form, and laden with energy, spring to life. We had fun and, most of all, interesting times. Dale M. Lanzone

Snelson with Arcu Tow, Wooster Street, New York, 1961 15

LIST OF PLATES

1. Tapered X-Column, 1948-1997 wood and black thread, unique 35 x 6 x 6 in. | 91 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm

2. Trigonal Tower, 1962-81 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 2 of 4 65 x 31 ½ x 28 in. | 165.1 x 80 x 71.1 cm

3. Needle Tower (model), 1968 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 4 of 4 102 x 32 ½ x 38 ½ in. | 259.1 x 82.6 x 97.8 cm

4. V-X, 1968-1989 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 0 of 4 13 x 21 ½ x 21 ½ in. | 33.0 x 54.6 x 54.6 cm

5. Needle Tower II (Kröller-Müller Tower Model), 1969 anodized aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 1 of 4 88 x 24 ½ x 24 ½ in. | 223.5 x 62.2 x 62.2 cm

6. Black E.C. Tower, 1969-2006 black anodized aluminum upper modules and stainless-steel base module, unique 504 x 132 x 114 in. | 1280.2 x 335.3 x 289.6 cm

7. Easy K II, 1971-2001 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 1 of 4 13 x 77 x 13 in. | 33.0 x 195.6 x 33.0 cm

8. Equilateral Quivering Tower, 1973-92 chrome-plated brass and stainless-steel cable, edition 2 of 4 102 x 42 x 36 in. | 259.1 x 106.7 x 91.4 cm

9. Black E.C. Tower, 1974 black anodized aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 2 of 4 41 x 14 ½ x 12 ½ in. | 104.1 x 36.8. 31.8 cm

10. Free Ride Home, 1974-80 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 3 of 4 23 ¾ x 42 x 35 in. | 60.3 x 106.7 x 88.9 cm

11. Forest Devil, 1974-2012 stainless steel, edition 2 of 4 204 x 420 x 300 in. | 518.2 x 1066.8 x 762.0 cm

12. Sigma Data II, 1975-92 stainless steel, A.P. 30 x 35 x 21 in. | 76.2 x 88.9 x 53.3 cm

13. Greene Street III, 1975-93 stainless steel, edition 4 of 4 32 x 27 x 23 in. | 81.3 x 68.6 x 58.4 cm

14. Able Charlie, 1978 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 1 of 4 100 x 106 x 80 in. | 254.0 x 269.2 x 203.2 cm

15. Double Shell Form II, 1979 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 1 of 4 22 ½ x 22 ½ x 22 ½ in. | 57.1 x 57.1 x 57.1 cm

16. Flat Out, 1979 stainless steel, edition 3 of 4 16 x 20 x 11 in. | 40.6 x 50.8 x 27.9 cm

17. Tallstar, 1979 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 6 of 6 27 ¾ x 19 ½ x 18 in. | 70.5 x 49.5 x 45.7 cm

18. Four Chances, 1979 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 4 of 4 35 x 41 x 31 in. | 88.9 x 104.1 x 78.7 cm

19. Mozart I, 1981-82 stainless steel, edition 2 of 4 35 x 44 x 43 in. | 88.9 x 111.8 x 109.2 cm

20. B-Tree II, 1981-2008 stainless steel, unique 108 x 114 x 130 in. | 274.3 x 289.6 x 330.2 cm

21. Corner of Chambers and Greenwich Streets, 1979 gelatin silver print, edition 2 of 5 15 ½ x 70 ½ in. | 39.4 x 179.1 cm

58-59

22. Sixth Avenue/Exxon Building, 1979 gelatin silver print, A.P. 15 ½ x 83 in. | 39.4 x 210.8 cm

60-61

23. East River Drive Under Brooklyn Bridge, 1980 gelatin silver print, edition 4 of 10 15 ½ x 112 in. | 39.4 x 284.5 cm

62-63

24. Parking Lot, Mercer and Grand Streets, 1980 gelatin silver print, edition 2 of 10 15 ½ x 100 in. | 39.4 x 254.0 cm

64-65

25. Times Square, 1980 gelatin silver print, edition 1 of 15 15 ½ x 109 ½ in. | 39.4 x 278.1 cm

66-67

Snelson with Sagaponack Weave Pieces

1. Tapered X-Column, 1948-1997 wood and black thread, unique 35 x 6 x 6 in. | 91 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm Notes: Snelson constructed this tower of “X-Modules” dated 1948-97, a piece he had imagined earlier but never built. 20

2. Trigonal Tower, 1962-81 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 2 of 4 65 x 31 ½ x 28 in. | 165.1 x 80 x 71.1 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 9 (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Selected Work 1948-2009 (2009). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 19 February – 21 March 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 10 (edition not specified). Literature: Kurtz, Stephen A. “Kenneth Snelson: The Elegant Solution.” In Kenneth Snelson, edited by Bernd Carow, pp. 32-38. Hannover, Germany: Kunstverein Hannover, 1971. Reproduced in black and white, p. 37. Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 14 (edition not specified). 22

3. Needle Tower (model), 1968 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 4 of 4 102 x 32 ½ x 38 ½ in. | 259.1 x 82.6 x 97.8 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1971). Kunstverein Hannover, Hannover, Germany. 13 March – 18 April 1971. Catalogue no. 10; reproduced in black and white, p. 37 (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: The Nature of Structure (1989-90). The New York Academy of Sciences, New York, New York, 31 January – 7 April 1989; traveled to California Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, California, 9 June – 27 August 1989; National Academy of Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, 5 April – 25 June 1990. Reproduced in black and white, p. 35. Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 9 (edition not specified). Notes: This sculpture is a model for a monumental version that was installed at Bryant Park in New York City (1968), and now resides in the collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia. 24

4. V-X, 1968-1989 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 0 of 4 13 x 21 ½ x 21 ½ in. | 33.0 x 54.6 x 54.6 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: The Nature of Structure (1989-90). The New York Academy of Sciences, New York, New York, 31 January – 7 April 1989; traveled to California Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, California, 9 June – 27 August 1989; National Academy of Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, 5 April – 25 June 1990. Not reproduced (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson (1992). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 6 February – 7 March 1992. Catalogue no. 5; reproduced in color (edition not specified). Notes: This edition was made January 20th, 1989, to travel with the New York Academy of Sciences exhibition. A monumental version of this sculpture is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, District of Columbia. 26

5. Needle Tower II (Kröller-Müller Tower Model), 1969 anodized aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 1 of 4 88 x 24 ½ x 24 ½ in. | 223.5 x 62.2 x 62.2 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: Sculptures (1994). Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York. 19 February – 9 April 1994. Catalogue no. 17; not reproduced (edition not specified). Notes: This sculpture is a model for a monumental version held in the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands. 28

6. Black E.C. Tower, 1969-2006 black anodized aluminum upper modules and stainless-steel base module, unique 504 x 132 x 114 in. | 1280.2 x 335.3 x 289.6 cm Exhibited: Festival International de Sculpture Contemporaine de Monaco (2000). Monte Carlo, Monaco. 26 June – 31 October 2000. Deux Américains à Paris: Sculptures de George Rickey et Kenneth Snelson (2006). Jardins du Palais Royal, Paris, France. 23 October – 15 December 2006. Reproduced in color. Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in color, pp. 88-89 (edition not specified). Notes: This work is currently on view on the campus of Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, where it has been installed since 2015. 30

7. Easy K II, 1971-2001 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 1 of 4 13 x 77 x 13 in. | 33.0 x 195.6 x 33.0 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: Sculptures (1994). Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York. 19 February – 9 April 1994. Reproduced in color (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson (1995). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 31 March – 27 May 1995. Catalogue no. 1; reproduced in black and white, pp. 14-15. Notes: Monumental versions of this sculpture are held in the collection of Gibbs Farm, Makarau, New Zealand, and a private collection in Tokyo, Japan. 32

8. Equilateral Quivering Tower, 1973-92 chrome-plated brass and stainless-steel cable, edition 2 of 4 102 x 42 x 36 in. | 259.1 x 106.7 x 91.4 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: Sculptures (1994). Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York. 19 February – 9 April 1994. Reproduced in color (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 13 (edition not specified). 34

9. Black E.C. Tower, 1974 black anodized aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 2 of 4 41 x 14 ½ x 12 ½ in. | 104.1 x 36.8. 31.8 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: Sculptures (1994). Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York. 19 February – 9 April 1994. Reproduced in color (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 10. Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in black and white, p. 88. Notes: The monumental version of this sculpture (cat. no. 6) was exhibited in 2006 at the Jardins du Palais Royal, Paris, France, and is currently installed on the campus of Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York. 36

10. Free Ride Home, 1974-80 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 3 of 4 23 ¾ x 42 x 35 in. | 60.3 x 106.7 x 88.9 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: The Nature of Structure (1989-90). The New York Academy of Sciences, New York, New York, 31 January – 7 April 1989; traveled to California Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, California, 9 June – 27 August 1989; National Academy of Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, 5 April – 25 June 1990. Reproduced in black and white, p. 55 (different edition exhibited). Kenneth Snelson (1992). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 6 February – 7 March 1992. Catalogue no. 1; reproduced in color (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 21 (edition not specified). Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in black and white, p. 78 (edition not specified). Notes: A monumental version of this sculpture is held in the collection of Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York. 38

11. Forest Devil, 1974-2012 stainless steel, edition 2 of 4 204 x 420 x 300 in. | 518.2 x 1066.8 x 762.0 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1992). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 6 February – 7 March 1992. Catalogue no. 3; reproduced in color (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 23 (edition not specified). Notes: Other editions of this sculpture are held in the collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the University of Cincinnati Public Art Collection, Cincinnati, Ohio. This work is currently on view at Marlborough Sculpture Park, Buchanan, New York. 40

12. Sigma Data II, 1975-92 stainless steel, A.P. 30 x 35 x 21 in. | 76.2 x 88.9 x 53.3 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: Sculptures (1994). Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York. 19 February – 9 April 1994. Catalogue no. 9; not reproduced (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 19 (edition not specified). Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 97 (edition not specified). 42

13. Greene Street III, 1975-93 stainless steel, edition 4 of 4 32 x 27 x 23 in. | 81.3 x 68.6 x 58.4 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1995). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 31 March – 27 May 1995. Catalogue no. 4; reproduced in black and white, p. 18 (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 22 (edition not specified). Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 84 (edition not specified). 44

14. Able Charlie, 1978 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 1 of 4 100 x 106 x 80 in. | 254.0 x 269.2 x 203.2 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1981-82). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 4 June – 9 August 1981; traveled to Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, 12 September – 8 November 1981; Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 15 January – 21 February 1982. Reproduced in black and white, p. 55 (different version exhibited). 20th Century Sculpture (1999). Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York. 28 March – 31 May 1999. Reproduced in color, p. 34 (edition not specified). Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in black and white, pp. 42-43 (edition not specified). Notes: Another edition of this sculpture is held in the collection of the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska. 46

15. Double Shell Form II, 1979 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 1 of 4 22 ½ x 22 ½ x 22 ½ in. | 57.1 x 57.1 x 57.1 cm Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 106 (edition not specified). 48

16. Flat Out, 1979 stainless steel, edition 3 of 4 16 x 20 x 11 in. | 40.6 x 50.8 x 27.9 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1995). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 31 March – 27 May 1995. Catalogue no. 2; reproduced in black and white, p. 16 (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 29 (edition not specified). Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 99 (edition not specified). 50

17. Tallstar, 1979 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 6 of 6 27 ¾ x 19 ½ x 18 in. | 70.5 x 49.5 x 45.7 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1992). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 6 February – 7 March 1992. Catalogue no. 2; reproduced in color (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculptures (1994). Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York. 19 February – 9 April 1994. Catalogue no. 14; not reproduced (edition not specified). MathArt/ArtMath (2002). Selby Gallery, Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida. 22 February – 30 March 2002. A Black Mountain Assemblage (2004). ACA Galleries, New York, New York. 20 March – 10 April 2004. No catalogue produced. Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in black and white, p. 56 (edition not specified). 52

18. Four Chances, 1979 aluminum and stainless-steel cable, edition 4 of 4 35 x 41 x 31 in. | 88.9 x 104.1 x 78.7 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1981-82). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 4 June – 9 August 1981; traveled to Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, 12 September – 8 November 1981; Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 15 January – 21 February 1982. Reproduced in black and white, p. 56. Kenneth Snelson (1992). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 6 February – 7 March 1992. Catalogue no. 4; reproduced in color. Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 20. Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 101 (edition not specified). 54

19. Mozart I, 1981-82 stainless steel, edition 2 of 4 35 x 44 x 43 in. | 88.9 x 111.8 x 109.2 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1992). Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan. 6 February – 7 March 1992. Catalogue no. 13; reproduced in color (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Sculptures (1994). Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York. 19 February – 9 April 1994. Reproduced in color (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Selected Work 1948-2009 (2009). Marlborough Chelsea, New York, New York. 19 February – 21 March 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 17 (edition not specified). Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in black and white and color, pp. 80-81 (different version reproduced). 56

20. B-Tree II, 1981-2008 stainless steel, unique 108 x 114 x 130 in. | 274.3 x 289.6 x 330.2 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture (2003). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 10 September – 4 October 2003. Reproduced in color, p. 8 (edition not specified). Kenneth Snelson: Selected Work 1948-2009 (2009). Marlborough Chelsea, New York, New York. 19 February – 21 March 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 18 (edition not specified). 7 World Trade Center (2012). Lobby installation, New York, New York. 28 March – 12 June 2012. No catalogue produced. Large Sculptures (2016). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 7 April – 7 May 2016. Reproduced in color, p. 29 (edition not specified). Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in color, p. 77 (different version reproduced). Notes: A monumental version of this sculpture is held in the collection of the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan. A second variation is held in the collection of the National Science Foundation, Washington, District of Columbia. 58

21. Corner of Chambers and Greenwich Streets, 1979 gelatin silver print, edition 2 of 5 15 ½ x 70 ½ in. | 39.4 x 179.1 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: New York City Panoramas (2011). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 30 March – 23 April 2011. Reproduced in black and white. 60

22. Sixth Avenue/Exxon Building, 1979 gelatin silver print, A.P. 15 ½ x 83 in. | 39.4 x 210.8 cm Literature: Burrows, Joelle. Kenneth Snelson: The Nature of Structure. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1989. Reproduced in black and white, pp. 45-46. 62

23. East River Drive Under Brooklyn Bridge, 1980 gelatin silver print, edition 4 of 10 15 ½ x 112 in. | 39.4 x 284.5 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1981-82). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 4 June – 9 August 1981; traveled to Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, 12 September – 8 November 1981; Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 15 January – 21 February 1982. Reproduced in black and white, p. 70. 64

24. Parking Lot, Mercer and Grand Streets, 1980 gelatin silver print, edition 2 of 10 15 ½ x 100 in. | 39.4 x 254.0 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson (1981-82). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 4 June – 9 August 1981; traveled to Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, 12 September – 8 November 1981; Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 15 January – 21 February 1982. Reproduced in black and white, p. 70. 66

25. Times Square, 1980 gelatin silver print, edition 1 of 15 15 ½ x 109 ½ in. | 39.4 x 278.1 cm Exhibited: Kenneth Snelson: New York City Panoramas (2011). Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York. 30 March – 23 April 2011. Reproduced in black and white. Literature: Snelson, Kenneth. Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Reproduced in black and white, p. 161 (edition not specified). 68

KENNETH SNELSON

1927 Born in Pendleton, Oregon 2016 Died in New York, New York Education 1946-1951 — Studied at Black Mountain College, Black Mountain, North Carolina; Chicago Institute of Design, Chicago, Illinois; University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon; and with Fernand Léger in Paris, France SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2011 Kenneth Snelson: New York City Panoramas, Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York 2009 Kenneth Snelson, Selected Work: 1948-2009, Marlborough Chelsea, New York, New York 2003 Kenneth Snelson: Sculpture, Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York Large Scale Panoramas, Laurence Miller Gallery, New York, New York 1999 Kenneth Snelson: Sculptures and Drawings 1968-1998, Marlborough Chelsea, New York, New York 71

1998 Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York 1995 Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo 1994 Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, New York Anderson Gallery, Buffalo, New York Laurence Miller Gallery, New York, New York 1993 Yoh Art Gallery, Osaka, Japan 1992 Kenneth Snelson, Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan 1991 Yoh Art Gallery, Osaka, Japan 1990 New York Academy of Sciences, New York, New York National Academy of Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia Zabriskie Gallery, New York, New York 1986 Zabriskie Gallery, New York, New York; traveled to Zabriskie Gallery, Paris, France 1984 deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts 1982 Kenneth Snelson, Blaffer Gallery, The Art Museum of the University of Houston, Houston, Texas 1981 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, District of Columbia Kenneth Snelson, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York Zabriskie Gallery, New York, New York

1977 Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany 1971 Kenneth Snelson, Kunstverein Hannover, Hannover, Germany 1970 Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf, Germany 1969 Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo, The Netherlands 1968 Bryant Park, New York, New York 1966 Dwan Gallery, Los Angeles, California SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2016 Large Sculptures, Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York 2012 Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta, Georgia 2011 Constructivists: George Rickey and Kenneth Snelson, Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York 2008 Geometry as Image, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, New York Digital Stone Exhibition, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China 2006 Sculptures de George Rickey et Kenneth Snelson: Deux Américains à Paris, Jardins du Palais Royal, Paris, France 73

2002 Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York 1999 Stamford Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Stamford, Connecticut Neuberger Biennial Exhibition of Public Art, Purchase, New York 20th Century Sculpture, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York 1995 Japan, U.S., Photography, Takashimaya Gallery, New York, New York 1987 The Arts at Black Mountain College, Grey Art Gallery, New York, New York 1983 Big Pictures, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York 1980 Hayward Gallery, London, England 1979 Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, New York 1971 Sonsbeek ’71, Arnhem, The Netherlands 1970 Sammlung Etzold, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, Germany Salon International de Galeries Pilotes, Lausanne, Switzerland 1969 Twentieth Century Art from the Rockefeller Collection, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York 1968 Prospect ’68, Düsseldorf, Germany 1967 Sculpture of the Sixties, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California 1966 Sculpture Annual, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York 74

SELECTED AWARDS 2002 The Elizabeth N. Watrous Gold Medal, The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, New York, New York 2001 Civic Environment Award, City of Osaka, Osaka, Japan 1999 Biennial Honoree, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase, New York Lifetime Achievement Award, International Sculpture Center, Hamilton, New Jersey

Snelson with Planar Pc, Spring Street, New York, 1961 75

Snelson with Packed Network, Central Park, New York 76

1994 Membership, The American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, New York 1991 Award, The American Institute of Architects Kansas City Chapter, Kansas City, Missouri 1989 Prix Ars Electronica, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria 1987 Art Award, The American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, New York 1985 Honorary Doctorate, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 1981 Award, The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington, District of Columbia 1976 DAAD Fellowship, Berlin Künstlerprogramm, Berlin, Germany 1974 Award for Sculpture, Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Virginia Grant, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, District of Columbia Iowa City Sculpture Competition, Iowa City, Iowa Advisory Board, The Public Arts Fund, New York, New York 1971 Award for Sculpture, New York State Council on the Arts, New York, New York

LIST OF COLLECTIONS

Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina Australian National Gallery, Canberra, Australia Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, Stanford, Connecticut Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania City of Baltimore, Maryland City of Buffalo, New York City of Hamburg, Germany City of Hannover, Germany City of Iowa City, Iowa City of San Diego, California Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan Gibbs Farm, Kaipara, New Zealand Hallmark, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, District of Columbia Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York Miami-Dade Art in Public Spaces, Miami, Florida Milwaukee Art Institute, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble, France Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, New Jersey New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana 78

Northwood Institute, Dallas, Texas Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase, New York Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey Rockefeller Estate, Pocantico Hills, New York San Diego Community College, San Diego, California San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California Shiga Museum of Modern Art, Shiga, Japan Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, District of Columbia Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky St. Bride’s Farm, Upperville, Virginia Stanford University, Palo Alto, California Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Wakayama Museum of Art, Wakayama, Japan Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ashton, Dore. “Historicism and Respect for Tradition.” Studio International 171, no. 878 (1966): 275-279. Burnham, Jack. Beyond Modern Sculpture: The Effects of Science and Technology on the Sculpture of the Century. New York: George Braziller, 1989. Burrows, Joelle. Kenneth Snelson: The Nature of Structure. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1989. Busch, Julia M. A Decade of Sculpture: The New Media in the 1960s. Philadelphia: The Art Alliance Press; Associated University Presses: London, 1974. Canaday, John. “Kenneth Snelson Shows Influence of Fuller.” The New York Times. April 16, 1966. Heartney, Eleanor. Kenneth Snelson: Art and Ideas. Web Publication: Kenneth Snelson, 2013. Kurtz, Stephen A. “Kenneth Snelson: The Elegant Solution.” Art News. October 1968. Muller, Gregoire. “Kenneth Snelson’s Position is Unique.” In Kenneth Snelson. Hannover: Kunstverein Hannover, 1971. Snelson, Kenneth. Interview by Angela Schneider. Kenneth Snelson. Berlin: Nationalgalerie, 1977. Snelson, Kenneth. Kenneth Snelson: Forces Made Visible. Lenox, MA: Hard Press Editions, 2009. Struycken, Peter. Catalogue essay. In Kenneth Snelson. Otterlo, The Netherlands: Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, 1969. Tuchman, Maurice. American Sculpture of the Sixties. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1967. Wieder, Laurance. Full Circle: Panoramas by Kenneth Snelson. New York: Aperature Foundation, 1990. 80

Snelson with Arc Joint, New York World’s Fair, New York, 1964 81

MARLBOROUGH NEW YORK 545 WEST 25TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10001 212 541 4900 DOUGLAS KENT WALLA, CEO SEBASTIAN SARMIENTO, Director NICOLE SISTI, Assistant to Sebastian Sarmiento DIANA BURROUGHS, Director

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Snelson with 16-inch Cirkut camera, New York, 1997 Editors: Diana Burroughs, Lukas Hall, and Marissa Jade Moxley Design: Dana Martin-Strebel Edition of 1000 Printed in Hong Kong by Permanent Press $14.95 ISBN 978-0-89797-333-5

51495>

9 780897 973335 86

Dale M. Lanzone is the President of D. Lanzone LLC, a company that promotes the development of international public art projects with an emphasis on the integration of art, architecture, and the urban and natural environments. The company’s business and cultural activities are based on the belief that over time communities evolve and achieve stature through the definition and integration of economic and cultural objectives that accelerate the enrichment of community life and pride of place. Mr. Lanzone was the President of International Public Art Marlborough and previous to that was national Director of the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Cultural and Environmental Affairs programs. As the Director of Cultural and Environmental Affairs, Mr. Lanzone presided over the acquisition, maintenance and conservation of contemporary art for United States Government buildings. He also administered the GSA’s Historic Preservation Program, a fine arts collection encompassing some 9,000 works of art, as well as the agency’s archeological programs, environmental quality programs, and those programs administered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additionally, Mr. Lanzone represented the Secretary of the Interior and the Administrator of the GSA on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities, and the National Building Museum. Over the past 25 years as President of D. Lanzone LLC and President of International Public Art Marlborough, Mr. Lanzone has developed and managed many largescale, commissioned public and private fine arts projects and exhibitions in association with a range of artists including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alice Aycock, Chakaia Booker, Anthony Caro, Richard Deacon, Mark di Suvero, Michele Oka Doner, Anthony Gormley, Maya Lin, Dennis Oppenheim, Roxy Paine, Jaume Plensa, Beverly Pepper, Martin Puryear, George Rickey, Sean Scully, Kenneth 87 Snelson, Frank Stella, Manolo Valdés, and others.

A Tribute to

KENNETH SNELSON