WOOD WITH CASEIN
122 x 132 x 85 INCHES
COURTESY OF THE NANCY A. NASHER AND DAVID J. HAEMISEGGER COLLECTION
This artwork is not currently on view as it is undergoing conservation. It will return soon.
In 2005, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris invited Shapiro to participate in their project titled Correspondences. In this series, the museum linked contemporary artists with works of their choice from the museum's permanent collection of 19th century art. Joel Shapiro selected Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's monumental marble sculpture group titled La Danse, which was produced to decorate the façade of the Paris Opera in 1863. La Danse conveys movement through the unbalanced postures and leaping spirit of figures that seem to be dancing in all directions. The result: his bold construction titled 20 elements.
The work is composed of 20 wooden elements joined to one another, creating unique and unexpected relationships. Shapiro's elements are vibrantly colored in red, yellow, blue, grey, and black, scattered in an array of color, line, form, and shape. 20 elements was installed like a three-dimensional puzzle, with each element added incrementally.
