The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), in Raleigh, NC, has installed two large-scale steel sculptures by New York–based artist Mark di Suvero in its Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park. The sculptures, 26-foot-tall Ulalu and 32-foot-tall No Fuss, are on long-term loan to the Museum.
“We’re thrilled to install not one but two of Mark di Suvero’s striking, vibrant, and imaginative sculptures at the NCMA,” says Linda Dougherty, the Museum’s chief curator and curator of contemporary art. “These sculptures—appearing to defy gravity with a tremendous sense of dynamism, energy, and movement—will be a perfect addition to the Park, engaging with both the landscape and our visitors.”
Mark di Suvero, “Ulalu”, 2001, stainless steel, painted steel, 26′ 7″ h x 30′ w x 15′ d, © 2016 Mark di Suvero. Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Museum of Art
Mark di Suvero, “No Fuss”, 2003-2008, steel, 32 x 50 x 30 ft, © 2016 Mark di Suvero. Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Museum of Art
Internationally renowned for the monumental steel sculptures he has created for over five decades, Di Suvero employs the industrial tools of cutting and welding torches and cranes to create massive, architectural works out of steel I-beams. The improbable angles and sharp lines of his constructions, like giant 3-D drawings, activate the landscapes they are placed in with enormous, forceful, sweeping gestures. Playing with balance and suspension, some works, like No Fuss, have movable parts that swing and rotate.
“The enormous, bold sculptures will energize the Museum Park in a whole new way—drawing visitors into the new gardens and rolling meadow, welcoming passersby from the street front, and adding a new element of color and geometric line that will contrast beautifully with the natural landscape,” says Dan Gottlieb, the NCMA’s director of planning, design, and the Museum Park. “Placing Ulala at Blue Ridge Road and No Fuss in the meadow will help unify the campus and visually signify to visitors that they are at the NCMA.”
The dynamic geometry, powerful size, and expansive scale of his work are the result of his creative process. “I don’t build small models or draw detailed plans first,” says Mark di Suvero. “I start with a vision, a dream of what I want to do, and see where it goes.”
Di Suvero lives and works in New York, NY.
The two installations are made possible by the NCMA’s Art in the Environment Fund, which was established to support temporary, permanent, and loaned installations of public art in the NCMA Park and community. It is dedicated to the investment in significant and engaging public art and to providing accessible and meaningful experiences with art and nature for the people of North Carolina.
The North Carolina Museum of Art’s permanent collection spans more than 5,000 years, from ancient Egypt to the present, making the institution one of the premier art museums in the South. The Museum’s collection provides educational, aesthetic, intellectual, and cultural experiences for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond. The 164-acre Museum Park showcases the connection between art and nature through site-specific works of environmental art. The Museum offers changing national touring exhibitions, classes, lectures, family activities, films, and concerts.
The Museum opened West Building, home to the permanent collection, in 2010. The North Carolina Museum of Art, Lawrence J. Wheeler, director, is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh. It is the art museum of the State of North Carolina, Pat McCrory, governor, and an agency of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Susan Kluttz, secretary.
Tags: Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park, Carolina Arts, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh NC, Sculptures by Mark di Suvero, Visiting North Carolina, Visiting Raleigh NC
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