William Tucker

Shuttler B

1970

Not on display

Artist: William Tucker born 1935
Medium: Wood, creosote and hinges
Dimensions: Object: 1968 x 2000 x 1810 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased 1973
Reference: T01816

Display caption

One of William Tucker’s aims during the 1970s was to focus on the essential qualities of sculpture, in contrast to any other art form.

Works such as this are difficult to ‘read’ visually, despite their apparent simplicity. As with many minimal objects, it is impossible to grasp its structure at a glance; you must move around the sculpture physically in order to understand its form. In this sense, Tucker succeeded in producing works that are the opposite of images.

Gallery label, August 2004

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Catalogue entry

William Tucker b.1935

T01816 Shuttler B 1970

Not inscribed.
Wood, creosote, hinges, 77½ x 78¾ x71¼ (196.9 x 200 x 181).
Purchased from the Waddington Galleries (Grant-in-Aid) 1973.
Coll:Kasmin Gallery; Waddington Galleries; Alistair McAlpine; Waddington Galleries.
Exh: Kasmin Gallery, October–November1970 (no catalogue); XXXVI Biennale, Venice, June—October 1972 (British Pavilion, unnumbered, repr.); William Tucker. John Walker. Plastiken. Bilder. Grafiken, Hamburg Kunstverein, January–February 1973 and Museum Bochum, March–April 1973 (2,repr.); Serpentine Gallery, October 1973 (unnumbered, repr.).
Lit: Andrew Forge, in Venice Biennale catalogue (and reprinted in Serpentine Gallery catalogue); William Tucker, ‘Sculpture and Architecture: an introduction to my recent work’ in Studio International, CLXXXIH, June 1972, pp.241–3(repr.).