Art Focus Lectures | Metal, Shapes, & Experience: Richard Serra's Sequence (2006) In Context

This spring, Richard Serra’s monumental sculpture Sequence (2006) returns to the Cantor Art Center. In conjunction with its Stanford reinstallation, this lecture locates the artist and his sculpture within an art historical context. We begin with Serra’s early artistic explorations so we can understand how he arrived at the iconic shaped-steel sculptures for which he is best known. By then comparing his work to that of his peers (past and present), we come to appreciate his innovations as well as canonical importance. Finally, closely examining specific works, including Sequence, we will see the paradox that is at the heart of Serra’s art: outwardly simple and seemingly straightforward, his works, in fact, prompt viewers to ponder universals that define the human experience.

Kevin Muller is a specialist in the history of American art. He received his Ph.D. from the History of Art Department at the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught at U.C. Berkeley, the San Francisco Art Institute, and is currently the full-time art historian at the College of Marin. In addition to his academic background, Muller has acquired curatorial experience at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Caption/license: Richard Serra, Sequence, 2006, by rocor (2014), licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License