Today, Robert Morris’ 1969 sculpture Untitled was reinstalled on the north lawn of the AMAM. It had been removed during the museum’s recent renovation project to provide space for the creation of a geothermal well field. The reappearance of the Morris marks the return of the last AMAM object displaced during the 18-month closure.
This is one of two works by Morris currently on view at the AMAM. The second work, also called Untitled, is currently on view in the Ellen Johnson Gallery. Taken together, these works represent two different phases of Morris’ artistic philosophy, with the outdoor work describing his approach to ‘form,’ and the indoor piece, made of eight strips of hanging felt, his notion of ‘anti-form.’ Morris’ use of expanded aluminum for the lawn installation make it constant and geometric—unable to take any other shape—while the felt piece, made of soft, malleable material, can be altered depending on its space.
Largely acquired through the insightfulness of Oberlin College Professor of Art Ellen Johnson and AMAM Curator of Modern Art Athena Tacha, the AMAM’s Minimalist collection now boasts a core group of works by artists (like Morris) who are widely recognized for their major contributions to 20th-century art.
