Tag Archives: sculpture

Play Well

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Instagramed images of lego sculptures paired with the Per Kirkeby paintings that inspired them

Left to right: Lego man amidst the trees by Margaret Collerd, inspired by Per Kirkeby’s Untitled (2009); Climbing Shadows by Amy Wike, inspired by Per Kirkeby’s New Shadows V (1996); Fire Engine #5 by Michelle Herman, inspired by Per Kirkeby’s Inferno V (1992)

Phillips staff with bins of legos, creating sculptures

Phillips staff use images from Per Kirkeby’s exhibition to inspire Lego sculptures.

Did you know that LEGO is an abbreviation of two Danish words–“leg godt”–meaning “play well”? Neither did I! But I took this inspiring etymology to heart when developing a Lego challenge for the upcoming January 3 Arctic Expedition Phillips after 5. Inspired by Danish artist Per Kirkeby’s layered colorful abstractions, Phillips staff built our own Lego sculptures. Like kids on Christmas morning, we spread out on my office floor with focused attention to come up with our own Lego creations and Instagram them.

On January 3, you have a chance to “play well,” and win a host of prizes! Visit the museum during Phillips after 5 (5–8:30 pm; be sure to make a reservation) and peruse the Per Kirkeby: Paintings and Sculpture exhibition for inspiration. Then stop by the Lego tables, build your own sculpture, and share it on Instagram with the title of your choice and #PhillipsPlaysWell. You’ll be entered to win great prizes, including a Phillips Contemporaries membership, tickets to The Kennedy Center’s Nordic Cool festival opening concert, a one-year Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) membership, and more. Follow us on Instagram (@phillipscollection) for some pre-event inspiration.

Margaret Collerd,  Public Programs and In-gallery Interpretation Coordinator

Balancing Act

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Last month, a bear of an installation took over the corner of 21st and Q Streets in anticipation of Xavier Veilhan’s upcoming Intersections contemporary art project. Now the rest of Veilhan’s exhibition (IN)balance is installed in our galleries, and the artist takes a moment to discuss his diverse work—”using the floor, the walls, and the ceiling”—in this video.

Happy Birthday Rodin, With Love From Per Kirkeby

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Auguste Rodin, Female Torso, Kneeling, Twisting Nude, Date of modeling unknown; Musee Rodin cast II/IV, 1984. Bronze, overall: 23 3/4 x 12 5/8 x 13 3/4 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Gift of Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 2009

Auguste Rodin, Female Torso, Kneeling, Twisting Nude, Date of modeling unknown; Musee Rodin cast II/IV, 1984. Bronze, overall: 23 3/4 x 12 5/8 x 13 3/4 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Gift of Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 2009

 Rodin . . . wanted to depict the incomprehensibil­ity of the body as sliding structure. . . . The body in an eternal transformation and inter­change with the surroundings.

-Per Kirkeby

(excerpted from Klaus Ottmann’s essay in the exhibition catalogue,  Per Kirkeby: Paintings and Sculpture)

 

As Google reminds us with today’s doodle, the celebrated French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) would have been 172 today.

Rodin is a special hero to Per Kirkeby, subject of a current exhibition at the Phillips. In an interview with exhibition co-curator Director Dorothy Kosinski, Kirkeby identified Rodin’s Gates of Hell (1880-c.1890) as his favorite sculpture, calling it “radiant.” Elsewhere, he has referred to the work as a “dinosaur,” likening Rodin’s sculptures to “fossil bones.”

For artist-geologist Kirkeby, Rodin’s work is a telling starting point.

Per Kirkeby's bronze Læsø-head I (1983) looms large at left of this installation view of Per Kirkeby: Paintings and Sculpture. Photo: Lee Stalsworth

Per Kirkeby’s bronze Læsø-head I (1983) looms large at left of this installation view of Per Kirkeby: Paintings and Sculpture. Photo: Lee Stalsworth