To create her signature large-scale assemblages, Louise Nevelson organized furniture and other wood elements into nested, box-like structures. Throughout her career, the artist also experimented with other materials, such as bronze, fiberglass, and steel, which allowed her to expand the complexity and scale of her work while still addressing themes of modular and symmetrical balance. Transparent Sculpture I is one of several Plexiglas cubic constructions Nevelson completed during the late 1960s (the Albright-Knox has an additional sculpture from this body of work in its collection, Transparent Sculpture IV). The artist further enhanced the surfaces of these with screws and various patterns of incised, curved lines. Although geometric forms make up the basic framework of this sculpture, Nevelson was also focused on elements of light, transparency, reflection, and refraction. While only a brief exploration within her larger body of work, the artist’s series of transparent sculptures signify an important intermediary step in the evolution of her practice.

Label from Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s, June 30–December 30, 2018