Dawn's Presence

Scrap wood, discarded banister rails, and old posts take on new life in Dawn’s Presence. Louise Nevelson created this work by scavenging for street castoffs, assembling them into a tight geometric arrangement reminiscent of a Cubist still life, and then painting the sculpture white, imparting a mysterious, even haunting, mood. Nevelson’s first major installation, Dawn’s Wedding Feast (1959), filled a 24x22-foot space at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Nevelson recycled parts from that historic installation to create this sculpture.

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