Floating Carpet
Artist
Tim Prentice
(American, b. 1930)
Date2011
MediumAluminum
Dimensions36 x 144 x 48 in.
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift of the artist
Object number2010.67
DescriptionPrentice's sculptures grow out of the tradition of Alexander Calder (1898-1976) and George Rickey (1907-2002), but in a recent review art critic Grace Glueck stated that Prentice's works "gently assertive character is very much his own." These sculptures-especially "Floating Carpet"-focus on the elements of nature and how art can capture these invisible forces. Prentice explains:"In my current work in kinetic sculpture, I am trying to concentrate on the movement, rather than the object. I take it as an article of faith that the air around us moves in ways which are organic, whimsical, and unpredictable. I therefore assume that if I were to abdicate the design to the wind, the work would take on these same qualities.
The engineer in me wants to minimize friction and inertia to make the air visible. The architect studies matters of scale and proportion. The navigator and sailor want to know the strength and direction of the wind. The artist wants to understand its changing shape. Meanwhile, the child wants to play."
The New Britain Museum of American Art is grateful to the artist for gifting Floating Carpet, which was created for the NBMAA as a site-specific installation.
On View
On view
