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Full Moon is a circle in a square. Within the circle, three-dimensional geometrical elements are juxtaposed with straight horizontal and vertical grooves, forming a grid that contrasts in some areas with distinctive curved lines. The surface is matte and black, characteristic of Nevelson’s sculptural work.
Full Moon is a multiple made of cast polyester resin framed in wood. To create the piece, polyester resin was poured into a mold and allowed to harden. From the 1960s through the 1980s, Nevelson was one of many significant artists making sculpture multiples. This group included Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Richard Artschwager, Donald Judd, and Jeff Koons. The context for the surge in the production of multiples was the development of Pop Art, with its interest in mass production, and a concomitant socio-political perspective that aimed to make art more accessible to a wider audience.
Nevelson produced Full Moon with Pace Gallery. The artist first met Arnold Glimcher, founder of Pace Gallery, in 1961. At the time, the gallery was located in Boston and was struggling financially. Glimcher approached Nevelson, who had recently attracted a great deal of positive attention, about mounting a show of her work. The exhibition’s success placed the gallery on firmer footing, and a close relationship between artist and gallery owner blossomed. From 1964 on, she exhibited regularly at the Pace Gallery after it moved to New York, and she found in Glimcher a wholehearted champion of her work.
Financial security, which came not only through her solid relationship with Pace but also through the production of marketable work such as prints and multiples, was especially important to this artist who had struggled for decades to make a living from her work. Laurie Lisle notes in her biography of the artist that Nevelson was “unwilling to condemn commercialism in the art world because it enabled artists to take their rightful place in society. … She explained … that the ‘romantic concept that an artist can’t make a living’ resulted from a false sense of superiority. She undoubtedly took satisfaction in the fact that achieving financial independence through creative accomplishment was a rare and difficult feat for a woman.” [2]
Notes:
[1] Edward Albee, Louise Nevelson: Atmospheres and Environments (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1980), 23.
[2] Laurie Lisle, Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life (New York: Summit Books, 1990), 253–254.
ProvenanceFrom 1980 to 2011
W.L. Tony Whitwell, Roanoke, VA , purchased from Pace Editions, Inc. May 8, 1980. [1]
From 2011
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, donated by W.L. Tony Whitwell, September 21, 2011 [2]
Notes:
[1] Bill of Sale, object file
[2] Accession Record and Deed of Gift, object file
Exhibition History2016-2018
Off the Wall: Postmodern Art at Reynolda
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (12/3/2016-6/11/2018)
2022
Louise Nevelson: Architect of Light and Shadow
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (4/22/22 - 9/18/22)
DepartmentAmerican Art
Full Moon
Artist
Louise Nevelson
(1899 - 1988)
Date1980
Mediumcast black polyester resin framed in wood
DimensionsFrame: 18 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. (47 x 47 cm)
SignedLouise Nevelson
Credit LineGift of W.L. Tony Whitwell in honor of Hollins College students who enjoyed Reynolda House
Copyright© 2021 Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Object number2011.3.1
DescriptionLouise Nevelson’s reflections on her own work are often mystical in tone. Speaking to her friend the playwright Edward Albee, she mused, “When you square the circle, you are in a place of wisdom.” [1] Although this enigmatic statement reveals little of the artist’s meaning, it clearly conveys her belief in the power of form.Full Moon is a circle in a square. Within the circle, three-dimensional geometrical elements are juxtaposed with straight horizontal and vertical grooves, forming a grid that contrasts in some areas with distinctive curved lines. The surface is matte and black, characteristic of Nevelson’s sculptural work.
Full Moon is a multiple made of cast polyester resin framed in wood. To create the piece, polyester resin was poured into a mold and allowed to harden. From the 1960s through the 1980s, Nevelson was one of many significant artists making sculpture multiples. This group included Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Richard Artschwager, Donald Judd, and Jeff Koons. The context for the surge in the production of multiples was the development of Pop Art, with its interest in mass production, and a concomitant socio-political perspective that aimed to make art more accessible to a wider audience.
Nevelson produced Full Moon with Pace Gallery. The artist first met Arnold Glimcher, founder of Pace Gallery, in 1961. At the time, the gallery was located in Boston and was struggling financially. Glimcher approached Nevelson, who had recently attracted a great deal of positive attention, about mounting a show of her work. The exhibition’s success placed the gallery on firmer footing, and a close relationship between artist and gallery owner blossomed. From 1964 on, she exhibited regularly at the Pace Gallery after it moved to New York, and she found in Glimcher a wholehearted champion of her work.
Financial security, which came not only through her solid relationship with Pace but also through the production of marketable work such as prints and multiples, was especially important to this artist who had struggled for decades to make a living from her work. Laurie Lisle notes in her biography of the artist that Nevelson was “unwilling to condemn commercialism in the art world because it enabled artists to take their rightful place in society. … She explained … that the ‘romantic concept that an artist can’t make a living’ resulted from a false sense of superiority. She undoubtedly took satisfaction in the fact that achieving financial independence through creative accomplishment was a rare and difficult feat for a woman.” [2]
Notes:
[1] Edward Albee, Louise Nevelson: Atmospheres and Environments (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1980), 23.
[2] Laurie Lisle, Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life (New York: Summit Books, 1990), 253–254.
ProvenanceFrom 1980 to 2011
W.L. Tony Whitwell, Roanoke, VA , purchased from Pace Editions, Inc. May 8, 1980. [1]
From 2011
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, donated by W.L. Tony Whitwell, September 21, 2011 [2]
Notes:
[1] Bill of Sale, object file
[2] Accession Record and Deed of Gift, object file
Exhibition History2016-2018
Off the Wall: Postmodern Art at Reynolda
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (12/3/2016-6/11/2018)
2022
Louise Nevelson: Architect of Light and Shadow
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (4/22/22 - 9/18/22)
Status
Not on view