Norma Minkowitz (1937, USA) 

Almost There
1989
Fiber, paint, pencil shellac; ht. 14.75, w. 10.25 in.

The woven, stitched and crocheted sculptures of Norma Minkowitz have always held a sense of mystery, which is strange seeing as they are often transparent. Nothing is hidden yet meaning can be opaque. This is because her art can seem like apparitions, ghost images. In an Archives of American Art oral history interview with the artist (2001 Sept. 17 and 2001 Nov. 16) she spoke about how work took this turn, "My primary interest was in the transparency and line, that happened in the '80s. Before that time I was working more in opaque and solid structure forms that were very sculptural. And then I crocheted around a shoe and stiffened it, and took the shoe out, and I had this wonderful transparent form, which, to me, was the closest thing to drawing." In this wok a hand reaches down into a cube of space, searching, exploring, seeking to reach or feel. Jane Adlin, curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has written, "All of Minkowitz's sculptures are remarkable for their ability to evoke what are seemingly opposing visual sensations. The psychological complexities of her work, the observation of human behaviour, and the metaphorical containment, fuse into the beautiful forms she creates, making some of the most important sculptures of our time."

Reference: Whitney, Kathleen, Adlin, Jane and McFadden, David. Portfolio Collection: Norma Minkowitz. Brighton (UK): Telos Art Publishing, 2004.

Excellent original condition.