Gondola

David Smith used a blowtorch to cut this sculpture’s chunky central form from a sheet of steel. He then welded this form to a wheeled trolley, anchored it in space with a rectangle of steel bars, and painted it black and red. Gondola emerges as a kind of freestanding action painting. Like the railway hopper cars after which the work is titled, Gondola rolls into our space, boldly asserting its presence and power.

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