Bruce Nauman

Untitled

1965

Fiberglass, polyester resin, and light

Not on view

Since the 1960s, Nauman has experimented with mediums as diverse as video, holography, and neon. Untitled is the final piece in a series of fiberglass wall sculptures he made in 1965, while still a graduate student at the University of California, Davis. Nauman constructed a mold out of wood and cardboard, then brushed on a layer of fiberglass resin mixed with pigment and glitter. Removed from the mold and illuminated from within by an incandescent lightbulb, the translucent surface (with some wood and cardboard still adhered to it) glows. Nauman has said that he enjoyed the process of making fiberglass works, "not knowing what it's going to be like when you’re finished. You try it out, and then you see what you've got, and then you decide if that's what you want to do or not."

Gallery label from

From the Collection: 1960-69, March 26, 2016 - March 12, 2017.

Medium Fiberglass, polyester resin, and light
Dimensions 8' 4" x 20" x 21" (254 x 50.3 x 53.3 cm)
Credit Gift of Joseph Helman
Object number 516.1978
Department Painting & Sculpture

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