The Lyrical Constructivist: Don Gummer Sculpture

by Peter Plagens

Don Gummer first came to the attention of the New York art scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s with his painted-wood wall reliefs - formally layered geometric arrangements with strong architectural influence. He would later move from the wooden wall reliefs to metal "building" shapes of his own imagining.
Soon the pieces would become free-standing works of compelling strength and authority. Whether whimsically employing cardboard boxes as forms for his more recent treelike stainless-steel and bronze sculptures, or creating monumental "skyscraper" shapes, Gummer's unique style is characterized by a masterful attention to craftsmanship and detail.
His first museum commission was at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, Evansville, Indiana in 1987. In the year 2000 a monumental new work was dedicated at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio.

Genres: Art

144 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2002