Tate Online home Tate Britain Tate Modern Tate Liverpool Tate St Ives
HomeSupportersFeedbackTicketsShop Online
Technology from BT Tate Online together with BT
    Work

View Work InformationView other images for this workCross refer by subjectView texts associated with this workView other media or information about this work  
Naum Gabo  1890-1977

Naum Gabo Torsion 1928-36
© Nina Williams
Torsion  1928-36

Perspex
object: 352 x 410 x 400 mm
sculpture

Presented by the artist 1977

T02146

In his constructions, Gabo sought to create a sense of a defined space without enclosing or delimiting it. Radically, he used transparent materials to achieve this. Part of the ideology of his constructivism was that individual works could be made numerous times in different sizes and from different materials. This piece was conceived in 1928 but the actual object was constructed in London in 1936 using Perspex, a new material that was clearer and more malleable than others. In late years Gabo used the same form for a fountain that can be seen on the south bank of the Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament.

 (From the display caption May 2007)