Legendary sculptor Joel Shapiro debuts 3 new massive wood sculptures in New York, plus a room full of gravity-defying studies that invite close inspection.

My favorite Joel Shapiro sculpture is in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art ? an orange dancer-like structure that has made me smile since the first day I arrived in New York, now 23 year ago. That sculpture, like most of his work for the last 50+ years is radiantly joyful, defies gravity, and seems to move as you walk around it.
Joel Shapiro: Out of the Blue. 510 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10016 September 13 ? October 26, 2024 \ Photo: Courtesy Pace Gallery
His current exhibition at Pace in New York, Joel Shapiro: Out of the Blue, is everything you want from a Shapiro with with new surprises. Presenting his largest wood sculpture to date, along with a dozen small studies and bronzes, it’s a playfully intelligent experience with color, space, material, and movement that keeps you circling. Joel Shapiro: Out of the Blue. 510 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10016 September 13 ? October 26, 2024 \ Photo: Courtesy Pace Gallery
The exhibition spans two rooms with generous space to experience all 360 degrees of each work. Debuting here are three new massive wood sculptures ? each taller than any viewer. The central work, titled ?ARK? (titles are rare for Shapiro who has long-preferred the ?untitled?) is also the largest in the room, reaching nearly 12 feet tall. The structure feels like someone ...