To create Lunar Landscape, Nevelson nailed and glued together fragments of discarded wood objects, including a bedpost, juggling pin, and parts of a chair. Painted in black monochrome, the assembled fragments take on new life as a monumental composition characterized by irregular surfaces and recessed pockets of shadow. The work breaks from conventional modes of sculptural presentation, taking on an appearance more akin to architecture.

Working on a large scale and with scavenged materials, Nevelson defied gender expectations for women sculptors. And by rejecting carving in favor of piecing together found objects, she distanced her process from the then male-dominated spheres of carpentry and welded metal sculpture. Through the creation of her works, which she called “environments,” Nevelson fashioned her own independent creative identity within the art world.

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)