Fred Sandback
Encyclopedia
Fred Sandback was a minimalist conceptual-based sculptor known for his yarn sculptures, drawings, and prints.
, New York
where, as a young man, he made banjo
s and dulcimers
. He majored in philosophy at Yale University
(BA, 1966) before studying sculpture
at Yale School of Art
(MFA, 1969) where he studied with, among others, visiting instructors Donald Judd
and Robert Morris
.
Sandback is primarily known for his Minimalist works made from lengths of colored yarn. The artist's early interest in stringed musical instruments led him to make dulcimers and banjos as a teenager. In 1967, he produced the sculpture that would establish the terms of his mature work. Using string and wire, he outlined the shape of a 12-foot-long 2-by-4 board lying on the floor. Though he employed metal wire and elastic cord early in his career, the artist soon dispensed with mass and weight by using acrylic yarn. His yarn, elastic cord, and wire sculptures define edges of virtual
shapes that ask the viewer's brain to perceive the rest of the form. In that way his work can be considered visionary
or imaginative, as well as minimal and literal. Indeed Sandback was fond of installing "corner" pieces whose shadows assist with this form completion process. In describing his work he stated, "It's a consequence of wanting the volume of sculpture without the opaque mass that I have the lines." and "I did have a strong gut feeling from the beginning though, and that was wanting to be able to make sculpture that didn't have an inside." Sandback himself referred to his sculptures operating in pedestrian space, acknowledging both the viewer’s movement through a space and as something to be engaged actively.
, and the Galerie Heiner Friedrich, Munich
, both in 1968, while the artist was still a graduate student. Following this debut, Sandback exhibited widely his minimalist sculptures and prints in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. His artwork was included in the 1968 Annual Exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art
, the Biennale of Sydney
in 1976, and the Seventy-third American Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago
in 1979. In 2003, several large Sandback sculptures were permanently installed at Dia's museum
in Beacon, New York
. That same year, Sandback created Mikado (Sculptural study for the Pinakothek der Moderne) as as site-specific at the then newly opened Pinakothek der Moderne
.
Sandback's work was the subject of an extensive survey exhibition organized in 2005 by the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
, Vaduz (which traveled to the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh and the Neue Galerie am Joanneum, Graz, in 2006). His work is represented in many public collections including the Centre Georges Pompidou
, Paris, The Museum of Modern Art
, New York, Museum für Moderne Kunst
, Frankfurt am Main, National Gallery of Art
, Washington D.C., Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
, New York, Pinakothek der Moderne
, Munich, the Art Institute of Chicago
, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
, Buffalo.
. In 1981 the Dia Art Foundation
initiated and maintained a museum of his work, The Fred Sandback Museum in Winchendon, Massachusetts
, which was closed in 1996. Dia presented exhibitions of his works in 1988 and in 1996–97. In 2007 the Fred Sandback Archive, a non-profit organization was established primarily to create and maintain an archival resource on Sandback's work. At Christie's
New York, his four-part installation Untitled (1968) was sold for $266,500 in November 2010.
Life and work
Frederick Lane Sandback was born in BronxvilleBronxville, New York
Bronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where, as a young man, he made banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
s and dulcimers
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
. He majored in philosophy at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(BA, 1966) before studying sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
at Yale School of Art
Yale School of Art
The Yale School of Art is one of twelve constituent schools of Yale University. It is a professional art school, granting only Masters of Fine Arts degrees to those completing studies in graphic design, painting/printmaking, photography, or sculpture....
(MFA, 1969) where he studied with, among others, visiting instructors Donald Judd
Donald Judd
Donald Clarence Judd was an American artist associated with minimalism . In his work, Judd sought autonomy and clarity for the constructed object and the space created by it, ultimately achieving a rigorously democratic presentation without compositional hierarchy...
and Robert Morris
Robert Morris (artist)
Robert Morris is an American sculptor, conceptual artist and writer. He is regarded as one of the most prominent theorists of Minimalism along with Donald Judd but he has also made important contributions to the development of performance art, land art, the Process Art movement and installation...
.
Sandback is primarily known for his Minimalist works made from lengths of colored yarn. The artist's early interest in stringed musical instruments led him to make dulcimers and banjos as a teenager. In 1967, he produced the sculpture that would establish the terms of his mature work. Using string and wire, he outlined the shape of a 12-foot-long 2-by-4 board lying on the floor. Though he employed metal wire and elastic cord early in his career, the artist soon dispensed with mass and weight by using acrylic yarn. His yarn, elastic cord, and wire sculptures define edges of virtual
Virtual
The term virtual is a concept applied in many fields with somewhat differing connotations, and also, differing denotations.The term has been defined in philosophy as "that which is not real" but may display the salient qualities of the real....
shapes that ask the viewer's brain to perceive the rest of the form. In that way his work can be considered visionary
Visionary
Defined broadly, a visionary, is one who can envision the future. For some groups this can involve the supernatural or drugs.The visionary state is achieved via meditation, drugs, lucid dreams, daydreams, or art. One example is Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th century artist/visionary and Catholic saint...
or imaginative, as well as minimal and literal. Indeed Sandback was fond of installing "corner" pieces whose shadows assist with this form completion process. In describing his work he stated, "It's a consequence of wanting the volume of sculpture without the opaque mass that I have the lines." and "I did have a strong gut feeling from the beginning though, and that was wanting to be able to make sculpture that didn't have an inside." Sandback himself referred to his sculptures operating in pedestrian space, acknowledging both the viewer’s movement through a space and as something to be engaged actively.
Exhibitions
Sandback's first one-person exhibitions were at the Galerie Konrad Fischer, DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, and the Galerie Heiner Friedrich, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, both in 1968, while the artist was still a graduate student. Following this debut, Sandback exhibited widely his minimalist sculptures and prints in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. His artwork was included in the 1968 Annual Exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, the Biennale of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1976, and the Seventy-third American Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
in 1979. In 2003, several large Sandback sculptures were permanently installed at Dia's museum
Dia:Beacon
Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries is the museum for the Dia Art Foundation's collection of art from the 1960s to the present. The museum, which opened in 2003, is situated on the banks of the Hudson River in Beacon, New York. Dia:Beacon occupies a former Nabisco box-printing facility that was renovated...
in Beacon, New York
Beacon, New York
Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
. That same year, Sandback created Mikado (Sculptural study for the Pinakothek der Moderne) as as site-specific at the then newly opened Pinakothek der Moderne
Pinakothek der Moderne
The Pinakothek der Moderne is a modern art museum, situated in the city centre of Munich, Germany. Together with its two predecessors Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek The Pinakothek der Moderne (= "(Art) Gallery of the Modern"; from Greek: "pinax" = "board", "tablet") is a modern art museum,...
.
Sandback's work was the subject of an extensive survey exhibition organized in 2005 by the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
The Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein is the state museum of modern and contemporary art in Vaduz. The building by the Swiss architects Meinrad Morger, Heinrich Degelo and Christian Kerez was completed in November 2000...
, Vaduz (which traveled to the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh and the Neue Galerie am Joanneum, Graz, in 2006). His work is represented in many public collections including the Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
, Paris, The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, New York, Museum für Moderne Kunst
Museum für Moderne Kunst
The Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main was founded in 1981. The museum was designed by the Viennese architect Hans Hollein. Because of its triangular shape, it is called "piece of cake"....
, Frankfurt am Main, National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, Washington D.C., Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
, New York, Pinakothek der Moderne
Pinakothek der Moderne
The Pinakothek der Moderne is a modern art museum, situated in the city centre of Munich, Germany. Together with its two predecessors Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek The Pinakothek der Moderne (= "(Art) Gallery of the Modern"; from Greek: "pinax" = "board", "tablet") is a modern art museum,...
, Munich, the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is an art museum located in Delaware Park in Buffalo, New York. The gallery is a major showplace for modern art and contemporary art. It is located directly across the street from Buffalo State College.-History:...
, Buffalo.
Recognition
Sandback was one of a small group of avant garde artists sponsored by the Dia Center for the ArtsDia Art Foundation
Dia Art Foundation is a non-profit organization that initiates, supports, presents, and preserves art projects. It was established in 1974 as the Lone Star Foundation by Philippa de Menil, the daughter of Houston arts patron Dominique de Menil and an heiress to the Schlumberger oil exploration...
. In 1981 the Dia Art Foundation
Dia Art Foundation
Dia Art Foundation is a non-profit organization that initiates, supports, presents, and preserves art projects. It was established in 1974 as the Lone Star Foundation by Philippa de Menil, the daughter of Houston arts patron Dominique de Menil and an heiress to the Schlumberger oil exploration...
initiated and maintained a museum of his work, The Fred Sandback Museum in Winchendon, Massachusetts
Winchendon, Massachusetts
Winchendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 10,300 at the 2010 census. Home to Winchendon State Forest, the town includes the villages of Waterville and Winchendon Springs....
, which was closed in 1996. Dia presented exhibitions of his works in 1988 and in 1996–97. In 2007 the Fred Sandback Archive, a non-profit organization was established primarily to create and maintain an archival resource on Sandback's work. At Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
New York, his four-part installation Untitled (1968) was sold for $266,500 in November 2010.
Selected Bibliography and References
- Fred Sandback: Installations. Krefeld: Museum Haus Lange, 1969. Text by Paul Wember.
- Fred Sandback. Munich: Kunstraum, 1975. Texts by Hermann Kern and Fred Sandback.
- 74 Front Street: The Fred Sandback Museum, Winchendon, Massachusetts. New York: Dia Art Foundation, 1982. Text by Fred Sandback.
- Fred Sandback. Zürich: Kunsthaus Zürich, 1985. Texts by Gianfranco Verna, Lisa Liebmann, and Toni Stooss.
- Fath, Manfred, ed. Fred Sandback: Sculpture, 1966–1986. Munich: Galerie Fred Jahn, 1986. Texts by Manfred Fath, Fred Jahn, and Fred Sandback.
- Fred Sandback: Diagonal Constructions/Broken Lines. Skulpturen und Zeichnungen. Hannover: Kestner-Gesellschaft, 1987. Texts by Carsten Ahrens, Carl Haenlein, and Fred Sandback.
- Fred Sandback: Die gesamte Grafik. Munich: Galerie Fred Jahn in co-production with Städtisches Museum Leverkusen, Schloss Morsbroich, 1987. Texts by Rolf Wedewer and Fred Jahn. Another edition, without the text of Rolf Wedewer, was published as Fred Sandback: Werkverzeichnis der Druckgrafik, 1970–1986. Munich: Galerie Fred Jahn, 1987.
- Fred Sandback: Vertical Constructions. Münster: Westfälischer Kunstverein, 1987. Texts by Marianne Stockebrand and Fred Sandback.
- Fred Sandback: Sculpture. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, in association with Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, 1991. Texts by Suzanne Delehanty, Richard S. Field, Sasha M. Newman, and Phyllis Tuchman.
- Fred Sandback. Stockholm: Magasin 3, Stockholm Konsthall, 1991. Text by Sasha M. Newman.
- von Drathen, Doris. “Fred Sandback.” Künstler: Kritisches Lexikon der Gegenwartskunst, vol. 23, 1993.
- Fred Sandback: Sculpture. Exh. brochure. New York: Dia Center for the Arts, 1996. Text by Lynne Cooke.
- “Lines of Inquiry: Interview by Joan Simon.” Art in America 85, no. 5 (May 1997), pp. 86–93, 143.
- Fetz, Wolfgang, ed. Fred Sandback. Bregenz: Bregenzer Kunstverein, Palais Thurn und Taxis, 1997. Interview with Fred Sandback by Joan Simon.
- Mavridorakis, Valérie. Fred Sandback ou le fil d’Occam. Brussels: La Lettre volée, 1998.
- Fred Sandback: Escultura. Mexico City: Museo Tamayo, 2002. Texts by Sari Bermúdez, Saul Suarez, Lynne Cooke, and Fred Sandback. Interview with Fred Sandback by Joan Simon.
- Mark C. TaylorMark C. TaylorMark C. Taylor is a philosopher of religion and cultural critic who has published more than twenty books on theology, philosophy, art and architecture, media, technology, economics, and the natural sciences...
. "Apprehension." In Robert Lehman Lectures on Contemporary Art, vol. 2. Ed. Lynne Cooke and Karen Kelly. New York: Dia Center for the Arts, 2003. - Stephanie Cash, David Ebony, “Obituaries: Fred Sandback.” Art in America 91, no. 9 (September 2003), p. 142.
- Fred Sandback. New York: Zwirner & Wirth, Lawrence Markey Gallery, 2004. Texts by Fred Sandback.
- Fred Sandback, 1943–2003. Zürich: Annemarie Verna Galerie, 2004. Text by Gianfranco Verna.
- Fred Sandback Prints: A Survey. Exh. brochure. New York: Susan Sheehan Gallery, 2004. Text by Andrew Ehrenworth.
- Fred Sandback. Vaduz: Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein; Edinburgh: Fruitmarket Gallery; Graz: Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum; Bordeaux: capcMusée d’art contemporain; Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2005. Texts by Christiane Meyer-Stoll, Yve-Alain Bois, Thomas McEvilley, Thierry Davila, et al., ISBN 3-7757-1720-X
- Fred Sandback. Cambridge, England: Kettle’s Yard, 2005. Texts by Elizabeth Fisher, Michael Harrison, Lynne Cooke, and Fred Sandback. Published with separate insert documenting the exhibition.
- Fred Sandback: Drawings/Zeichnungen, 1968–2000. Zürich: Annemarie Verna Galerie; Düsseldorf: Richter Verlag, 2005. Text by Gianfranco Verna.
- Fred Sandback: Sculpture and Related Works. Exh. brochure. Sioux City: Sioux City Art Center, 2005. Text by David Raskin.
- Fred Sandback: Sculpture and Related Works. Laramie: University of Wyoming Art Museum, 2006. Texts by Susan Moldenhauer and David Raskin.
- David Raskin, “Art That Just Goes ‘Ping’: Sandback’s Vibration.” Apollo 165 (March 2007): 72-77.
- Fred Sandback. Exh. cat. (New York: Zwirner & Wirth, 2007). Texts by Pamela M. Lee and Fred Sandback.
- Fred Sandback. Exh. cat. (Goettingen and New York: Steidl/David Zwirner, 2009). Text by John Rajchman http://www.steidlville.com/books/922-Fred-Sandback.html
- Fred Sandback. Auckland: Jensen Gallery, 2009. Text by Leonhard Emmerling.
External links
- Sandback's work at Dia
- Notes from 1975
- Many examples at the Barbara Krakow Gallery
- http://www.diabeacon.org/exhibitions/introduction/95 Essay on Fred Sandback by Lynne CookeLynne CookeLynne Cooke is the curator at large for the Dia Art Foundation in New York, and chief curator at the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain. Born in Geelong, Australia, Ms. Cooke received a B.A. from Melbourne University and an M.A. and Ph.D...
] - Remarks on my Sculpture 1966-86 by Fred Sandback
- Examples of the artist's work and exhibitions at Zwirner & Wirth, New York and David Zwirner, New York
- David Raskin on Fred Sandback in Apollo March, 2007