Robert Murray, Lillooet, 2007–08
Robert Murray, Lillooet, 2007–08, painted aluminum and dyed cedar, 335.28 cm, private collection, Snug Harbour, Ontario. Photo credit: Robert Murray.
Resembling paper origami, Lillooet, 2007–08, is made up of dark blue folded, bent, and creased plates of metal supported by two red cedar posts. In this work, Murray returns to the geometric shapes of his early work, yet his masterful manipulation of metal recalls his more lyrical pieces of the 1970s and 1980s. To create his large-scale sculptures, Murray begins by making models, such as the one on the right. The final large-scale work emerges during the process of production at the metal fabricating plant as Murray watches and responds to the form in the moment. “In my experience, the models don’t just scale up without needing some adjustment,” he explains. “Your point of view is changing as the piece gets bigger, and your understanding of the piece may change as well.”
Gallery
Painted steel, 243.8 cm, Collection of City Hall, Saskatoon. Photo credit: Robert Murray.
Robert Murray, Ferus, 1963, painted steel, 360.8 x 111 x 56 cm, Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1999 (40049). Photo credit: Robert Murray.
Left to right: Robert Murray, Marker, 1964, painted steel, 220.8 x 53.5 x 88 cm, Collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966 (66.3708); Robert Murray, Montauk, 1964, painted steel, 274.3 cm high, location unknown; Robert Murray, TO, 1963, painted aluminum, planar column 275 cm high, tubular column 271.1 cm high, Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift from the Junior Women’s Committee Fund, 1966, 65/60.1-.2. © Robert Murray; Robert Murray, Adam and Eve, 1962–63, bronze, 109.1 x 16 x 15 cm, Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1970 (16622). © Robert Murray; Robert Murray, Chief, 1964, painted steel, 231.4 cm high, Collection of Frank Stella. Photograph by Robert Murray.