Haim Steinbach

BAR ARRANGEMENT (CUT-OUT) #59

1973
paper cutouts and gouache on graph paper
9 3/4 x 12 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches

In a career spanning 40+ years, Haim Steinbach’s sculptures and installations have questioned the meaning of mass produced objects and their display. Perhaps lesser known are his earliest works from the late 1960s/early 1970s that set out to test the precepts of Minimalism. In these works, Steinbach placed carefully composed bars of color around the edges of a dark square on graph paper, varying the colors and spacing in each iteration. The system, with its limited set of elements and precise format, might be seen as a precursor to Steinbach’s later works where he explored the meanings that arise by arranging commercial objects on his handmade shelves and wallpaper. Steinbach’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at museums worldwide, most recently a 2014 exhibition that traveled to Kunsthalle Zurich and Serpentine Galleries, London.

© haim steinbach