Robert Mangold (American, b. 1937). Untitled iron sculpture, late 20th century. An entrancing sculpture by American artist Robert Mangold, comprised of welded iron with an intentional oxidized finish of a warm orange hue, and skillfully modeled into a form that appears to defy gravity. Note how the lower section presents a columnar form set on a diagonal with an open body, while the contiguous upper section is in essence another cylindrical form with an open body, only this time set on the horizontal with a trio of juxtaposed openwork rings creating a terminal that is celestial in its appearance like a galactic body. It is as if Mangold has deconstructed geometrical forms to breathe new life into them, suggesting stellar entities that push earthly boundaries. Indeed, what has set Mangold apart from other welded-metal sculptors has been his fascination with space, time, and motion; interestingly, these three words became the title of his solo exhibition at the Artyard Sculpture Gallery in Denver, Colorado. Size: 5.375" L x 15.375" W x 15.375" H (13.7 cm x 39.1 cm x 39.1 cm)

Mangold was inspired by pioneering kinetic sculptors of the 20th century, including Naum Gabo, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and of course, Alexander Calder. In addition, David Smith, another Indiana native, was an immense influence of Mangold. Smith began experimenting with welded metal in the 1930s and had a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1957. Mangold earned his BA from Indiana University the year after Smith's exhibition, started working with the medium around 1958 and has created striking sculptures for more than 50 years, adding his own twist with his concept of "implied kinesis" or virtual movement. During the late 1960's and 1970's, Mangold exhibited in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Nebraska - and his work has been acquired as far as the Hakone Open Air Museum in Tokyo. Interestingly, Mangold has received international recognition only within the last 20 years. This is probably because he has chosen to live and work in Denver, Colorado rather than New York or Los Angeles. Mangold is actually best known in Europe and Japan where he won the prestigious Superior Prixe at the Henry Moore Grand Prize Exhibition in Tokyo in 1989.

Mangold is probably best known for his series (though a unique work within the series) that he calls PTTSAAES, an anagram for "a Point Traveling Through Space At An Erratic Speed." In this series, Mangold explores a concept he calls "implied kinesis" - meaning virtual movement that also involves the viewer who when contemplating a PTTSAAES sculpture, should welcome a "transformation to occur by adding unseen forces to the seen material of the sculpture in order to energize the piece into a kinetic state." Each PTTSAAES sculpture is constructed of metal - either industrial stainless steel, brass, or aluminum piping. Rather than creating preliminary drawings for these works, Mangold begins with a general idea, and as he forms it, he allows the piece to evolve during the process.

Provenance: private Eagle, Colorado, USA collection, acquired in the 1990s

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#168918

Intact and excellent. Intentionally oxidized finish. Green felt lines the base end to provide a smooth finish so as not to scratch the display surface.