Amon Carter print details

Lunar Landscape

Louise Nevelson (1899-1988)

Object Details

  • Date

    1959-1960

  • Object Type

    Sculptures

  • Medium

    Painted wood

  • Dimensions

    86 x 49 x 14 in.

  • Credit Line

    Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, Purchase with funds from the Ruth Carter Stevenson Acquisitions Endowment

  • Accession Number

    1999.3.A-J

  • Copyright

    Public domain

Object Description

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)

Additional details

Location: Off view
W28-artist-CMYK-CarterBlack
See more by Louise Nevelson

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Educator Resources
  • What is assemblage art? What is the history of assemblage art?

    How does an artist balance, unity, and variety within a work of art?

    How might a work of art reflect an artist’s experiences?

    How might a work of art reflect or relate to important moments in history?

  • Grades 4–12

    Students will think of a place they have never been but would like to explore. They should consider which objects they would use to create their own assemblage inspired by this place. Students will write about which objects they might choose and why. Then they will sketch their assemblage.

    Grades 6–12

    Students will use wood scraps and other found objects to create their own assemblage. A cardboard box can be used for the base and students can choose whether or not to paint the box and their objects one solid color before using hot glue or wood glue to assemble their sculpture.

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