Nenuphar

Michael Bolus b. 1934

T00738 Nenuphar 1963

Not inscribed.

Painted aluminium, 13¾ x 48 x 48 (35 x 122 x 122).
Purchased from the artist through the Whitechapel Gallery (Knapping Fund) 1965.
Exh : The New Generation: 1965, Whitechapel Art Gallery, March–April 1965 (8, repr.).

Ian Dunlop wrote in the catalogue of The New Generation: 1965: ‘By taking a sheet of metal and cutting it as if he was cutting a piece of paper with a pair of scissors, Bolus has discovered a new way of sculpting which enables him to explore an area previously reserved for painters like Richard Smith and Frank Stella, the main difference being that the metal used by Bolus seems to be a more satisfactory material than the canvas used by the painters; and by placing his metal sheets flat on the ground Bolus also appears to have discovered a new dimension for a work of art. It shows that a work of art, be it sculpture or painting, can work as well horizontally as it can vertically.’

Published in The Tate Gallery Report 1964–1965, London 1966.