Four Rectangles Oblique
By George Rickey
Category: Sculpture
About
George Rickey rejected the use of motors to power his sculptures and used the rectangular panels, like sails, to capture the wind. When the wind decreases, gravity begins to exert its pull on the panels. The exact movements of the sculpture are impossible to predict. Four Rectangles Oblique is a study in opposites: the rectangular forms are simple and orderly, while the movement, activated by the wind and gravitational pull, is complex and spontaneous.
Courtesy of the Gateway Foundation.
Dimensions: 19′ x 19’8″ x 1.5′ x 6′
Year Completed: 1979
Material: Stainless steel
Owner: Gateway Foundation
About the artist:
George Rickey
Artist Bio: 1907-2002
Although born in South Bend, Indiana, George Rickey spent most of his early years in Scotland. It was there that he learned to sail the family boat, a cutter, down the River Clyde. Harnessing the wind would be one of the many life experiences that would one day influence his development as an artist. Rickey’s sculptures are ultimately about movement. Rickey intends the viewer to experience the unique phenomenon of motion created by his sculptures rather than examine their forms. The bearings, gears and axles on which Rickey’s constructions pivot are designed so that even gale-force winds cannot overbalance or capsize them.
Rickey attended Trinity College and Baillol College. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and studied Art History at New York University. In 1972, Rickey received a Fine Arts Award from the American Institute of Architects. He died in 2002 in Minnesota.
