Untitled (after Rietveld)
About this artwork
In this work Boyce critiques modernism through his reinterpretation of the Dutch architect and furniture designer, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld’s revolutionary ‘Hanging Lamp’. Rietveld used standard Philips tubular incandescent bulbs and fittings and simply hung them from the ceiling using stock electric wiring. The vertical and horizontal bulbs were hung parallel to each other to form, in effect, an abstract light sculpture. Boyce has hung three fluorescent tubes from the ceiling, but instead of small elegant tubes and fittings, these are the sort one finds in basic office accommodation. The metal chain hanging down from the vertical tube suggests that the fitting has broken and that no-one could be bothered to fix it.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Martin Boyce (born 1967) Scottish
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title:Untitled (after Rietveld)
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date created:2000
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materials:Fluorescent lights and fixings
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measurements:Dimensions variable
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object type:
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credit line:Presented by Alexander Schröder, Neue Gallery, Berlin, 2010
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accession number:GMA 5127
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gallery:
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subject:
Martin Boyce
Martin Boyce
Boyce was born in Hamilton, Scotland and studied environmental art at Glasgow School of Art from 1987 to 1990, before completing an MFA in 1997. He is interested in the ideals of modern design and architecture and how these have changed over time. While acknowledging the revolutionary ideas behind...