The Modern Yarmulke, 2001 (LT. ED. Kippah based upon synagogue design JUDAICA)

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Sol LeWitt
The Modern Yarmulke, 2001 (LT. ED. Kippah based upon synagogue design JUDAICA)
2013

About the Item

Sol Lewitt The Modern Yarmulke, 2001, 2013 Mixed media leather and textile 5 1/2 in diameter 14 cm diameter Edition: unknown bears provenance stamp on the underside This yarmulka or kippah (the skullcaps that are work by Orthodox men or other Jewish men in synagogue or during prayer, weddings, funerals, holidays and other religious events) was first designed in 2001 by Sol Lewitt for his local synagogue, Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek in Chester Connecticut where the artist lived. This four-panel leather kippah features a digital print of the Star of David that is inspired by the ark doors Lewitt designed for the synagogue that same year. (see photo for inspiration.) Lewitt co-designed the Connecticut synagogue with architect Stephen Lloyd. The synagogue tried repeatedly to translate the radiant, geometric design the artist made for the ark doors into the convex form of a yarmulke. When the design was finally achieved, it sold out almost instantly. Several editions were made, each varying in trim color and the color of the inside fabric, but all shared the same six pointed star design, a common motif in Lewitt's work. The present edition design features a bright blue trim and a gray interior with the edition details in gold lettering and it was issued in 2013 for the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial in San Diego, California. Sol Lewitt Biography Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) was pivotal in the creation of the new radical aesthetic of the 1960's that was a revolutionary contradiction to the 'Abstract Expressionism' current in the 1950's and 60's New York school. He had no interest in inherent narrative or descriptive imagery. LeWitt, like no other artist of his generation, had always maintained the importance of the concept or idea and, apart from his original works on paper, the work is executed by others to clear and strict instructions. As one of the first coherent proponents of conceptual art with his writings, Sentences on Conceptual Art (1969), LeWitt's work continues to be regarded and referred to by a younger generation of artists as one of the seminal investigations into 'idea' and 'concept' art. He continued to challenge new thinking about what art can be. "If the artist carried through his idea and makes it into visible form, then all the steps in the process are of importance. The idea itself, even if not made visual, is as much a work of art as any finished product." Stated LeWitt in 1971. "All intervening steps, scribbles, sketches, drawings, failed work models, studies thoughts, conversations, are of interest. Those that show the thought process of the artist are sometimes more interesting than the final product." (LeWitt, 'Paragraphs on Conceptual Art', Artforum Vol.5, no. 10, Summer 1967, pp. 79-83) Born in 1928 in Hartford Connecticut, USA, LeWitt continued to work up until his death in early 2007. After studying a bachelors degree in Fine Art at Syracuse University until 1949, he worked as a graphic designer for I.M Pei's architecture office in New York. In 1960 LeWitt took a job at the Museum of Modern Art in New York at the book counter where his co-workers included Robert Ryman, Dan Flavin and Robert Mangold, situating him in the midst of young artists searching for a new direction in art. LeWitt participated in seminal group exhibitions including 'Primary Structures', Jewish Museum, New York, NY, USA and '10', Dwan Gallery, New York, NY, USA both in 1966, dOCUMENTA IV in 1968 and Harald Szeeman's exhibition 'When Attitude Becomes Form', Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland and Institute of Contemporary Art, London, UK (1969). A major retrospective of Lewitt's work was organised by the San Francisco Museum of Art in 2000 and then travelled to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, USA and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, USA. His works are found in the most important museum collections including: Tate Collection, London, UK; Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Musee National d'Art Moderne, Paris, France; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Australian National Gallery, Canberra, Australia; Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, USA; MoMA, New York, NY, USA; Dia:Beacon, NY, USA; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA; and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC, USA. "Sol Lewitt had a pivotal role for Lisson Gallery, especially in the early days. He and I worked intensively together embarking on projects, exhibitions at the gallery and the production of work. I also assisted Sol in building his extraordinary collection of living artists. He was exemplary as a model artist in terms of his attitude, his openness, generosity and fair handedness. His spirit lives on with us, and is deeply embedded in the culture of the gallery." - Nicholas Logsdail -Courtesy of Lisson Gallery

Creator:
Sol LeWitt (1928 - 2007, American)
Creation Year:
2013
Dimensions:
Height: 0.3 in (7.62 mm)Diameter: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)
Medium:
Leather,Textile,Mixed Media
Movement & Style:
Abstract Geometric
Period:
2000-2009
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1745212207932

Shop All Sol LeWitt

Sol LeWitt

While New York City’s art scene in the 1950s and ’60s revolved around Abstract Expressionism, multidisciplinary artist Sol LeWitt paved an alternative path, creating a prolific output of work in the genres of minimalism and, later, Conceptual art.

While LeWitt is perhaps best known for his immense “wall drawings,” he created work in a wide range of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. (However, in a characteristic rebuttal of canonical art history, he referred to these pieces as “structures.”) He also produced several texts, including the seminal Sentences on Conceptual Art (1969).

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1928, LeWitt received a BFA from Syracuse University before going to work as a graphic designer for the renowned architect I.M. Pei. He would later work at the book counter at the Museum of Modern Art, where his colleagues included fellow artists. LeWitt’s early exposure to architecture may well have had outsize influence on his subsequent career: He was known for the geometric nature of his work, specifically his fastidious, near-obsessive treatment of the cube, which he rendered repeatedly in various ways throughout his paintings, structures and wall drawings.

In the 1960s, LeWitt showed in several group exhibitions throughout New York and also began to experiment with three-dimensional structures, most modular riffs on the cube shape. His work was included in “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art,” curated by Mel Bochner, another leading exponent of Conceptualism.

Later, LeWitt debuted his now-iconic wall drawings, creating work directly on the walls of galleries and show spaces, beginning with pioneering gallerist Paula Cooper’s inaugural show in 1968. The wall drawings became a prime example of LeWitt’s philosophical approach to art, with their installation often carried out by museum staff or curators following precise instructions from the artist.

“The idea,” the artist once said, “becomes a machine that makes the art.” LeWitt continued to produce work until his death in 2007.

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