Untitled (Leaner)
Untitled (Leaner), 1970, Peter Alexander. Polyester resin. 104 ½ x 5 ½ x 3 in. Collection of the artist. © Peter Alexander
On View at the Getty Center: Pacific Standard Time: Crosscurrents in L.A. Painting and Sculpture, 1950-1970
Like many of his contemporaries, Peter Alexander experimented with innovative techniques for casting plastic resins, using materials that were newly available on the market in the second half of the 1960s. This slender vertical sculpture is made of polyester resin and, like many that Alexander made during the late 1960s and early 1970s, it plays with the prismatic effects produced by light reflecting off and passing through translucent resins. The work leans against the wall and has a triangular cross-section. The two facets that are directed towards the viewer are highly polished, while the rear facet retains the roughly textured finish produced by the casting process. As light passes through the piece, a halo of golden light and pattern is thrown onto the wall behind and around the piece, dematerializing both the sculpture and its surroundings.
Works of Art
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Cloud Box, 1966, Peter Alexander. Cast polyester resin. 9 5/8 x 9 5/8 x 9 5/8 in. Collection of Janis Horn and Leonard Feldman, Los Angeles. © Peter Alexander. Photo: Brian Forrest
Explore the Archive
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Video: Peter Alexander speaks about his work, May 2010
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An exhibition at Billy Al Bengston’s Artist Studio, with works by Ed Ruscha, Peter Alexander, and John McCracken, 1970. Image courtesy of Billy Al Bengston
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Peter Alexander in 1966. Image courtesy of and © Billy Al Bengston
