Third Dimension: Works from The Brant Foundation

Third Dimension represents the impact of decades of collecting and highlights a selection of works that have never before been exhibited at the Foundation by Carl Andre, John Chamberlain, Urs Fischer, Dan Flavin, Glenn Ligon, Claes Oldenburg, Kenny Scharf, Oscar Tuazon, Andy Warhol, and Franz West.

The exhibition brings together a dynamic group of artists who are among the most influential voices in modern and contemporary art. Additional artists in the exhibition include David Altmejd, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Maurizio Cattelan, Adam McEwen, Mike Kelley, Karen Kilimnik, Nate Lowman, Cady Noland, Richard Prince, Rob Pruitt, Jason Rhoades, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, Josh Smith, and Dash Snow.

“We are thrilled to do another exhibition in the Foundation’s new East Village space that celebrates the building’s history as De Maria’s studio where he created so many daring works,” said Brant. “Having collected sculpture from a young age, I am pleased to be able to show many pieces that we have not been able to share with the public at the Foundation until now.”

Working with dealers such as Peter Weber and Leo Castelli, Peter M. Brant began collecting Minimalist and Post-Minimalist sculpture while in his early 20s, initially acquiring works such as Claes Oldenburg’s Giant Blue Shirt with Brown Tie (1963); and Dan Flavin’s Puerto Rican Light (to Jeanie Blake) 2, (1965), and The Diagonal, May 25, 1963 (To Robert Rosenblum). The latter is a milestone of Minimalism and the very first of Flavin’s fluorescent-light sculptures, which was gifted by Brant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1974. (Brant installed both Puerto Rican Light and Giant Blue Shirt in the United Nations lobby, while living in an apartment in the building.) Similar examples of work by both artists are included in this exhibition, which have not been exhibited at the Foundation before: Oldenburg’s Soft Pay-Telephone (Ghost Version) (1963) and Flavin’s alternate diagonals of March 2, 1964 (to Don Judd) (1964).

Highlights on view across three floors of the Foundation’s 16,000-square-foot building include several works and installations by conceptual sculptor Cady Noland, including Crate of beer (1989); Cowboy with Holes, Eating (1990); SLA Group Shot #1 (1991); and Gibbet (1993-94). Noland is recognized for her exploration of the American psyche and impacts of mass media through collage, sculpture, and mixed-media installations. Brant was an early collector of Noland’s work, and the artist has become a key part of the Foundation’s collection.

In addition, Third Dimension includes two sculptures, by Urs Fischer and John Chamberlain, never before shown at the Foundation due to their monumental size. Their display is made possible by freight doors and a gantry mechanism that moves large artworks between levels through a floor-door system in the building. Fischer’s Untitled (The Rape of the Sabine Women) (2011) features a wax replica of Giambologna’s 16th-century sculpture, measuring more than 20 feet in height. It will be on view on the second floor of the Foundation, taking over the more than 30-foot-high space. The candle work, which also includes a wax sculpture of artist Rudolf Stingel and an office chair, will melt away over the course of the exhibition, through a system of wicks incorporated in the sculptures’ interiors. On the third floor, visitors will encounter Chamberlain’s Fuccimanooli (1990), made of bent, twisted, and painted pieces of metal reaching over 12 feet high.