Object Details
Artist
Vivian Beer, born Bar Harbor, ME 1977
Exhibition Label
With a fusion of seemingly contrasting ideas—masculine and feminine, historical and contemporary, functional and decorative—Vivian Beer transforms steel from a rigid raw material into sensuous, curving furniture. Though abstracted, her pieces reference forms from nature and culture that embody beauty and power. Slither.walk.fly, which alludes to muscle cars and animal tailfeathers, looks like it could be ridden rather than simply used as a seat. As with many of her works, the impression of movement is both seductive and slightly intimidating.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Leon and Miriam Ellsworth, Brenda Erickson, Jere Gibber and J.G. Harrington, and David and Clemmer Montague in honor of the fortieth anniversary of the Renwick Gallery
Copyright
© 2008, Vivian Beer. Photo by Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia
Date
2008
Object number
2013.22
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Furniture
Medium
steel and automotive paint
Dimensions
38 x 95 x 45 3/4 in. (96.5 x 241.3 x 116.2 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_2013.22