Knossos

Artist Charles Ginnever (American, 1931 - 2019)

Date1990

MediumCor-ten steel

DimensionsOverall: 13 × 50 × 30 feet (3.96 × 15.25 × 9.15 meters)

Credit LineGift of Leonard and Louise Riggio

Object number2001.32

On View

Not on view

Collections

Contemporary Art

Terms

DescriptionA large, black steel sculpture with a protective rust coating. Three pairs of leg-like supports rise from the ground at a 45-degree angle and gradually become broader until they join at the top to form a curved spine. The spine slopes downward to join a fourth, pyramid-shaped section.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

The title of this sculpture refers to the Palace at Knossos on the Aegean island of Crete, which was the centerpiece of the ancient Minoan civilization that predated the Greeks. Knossos is constructed of bent parallelogram steel plates that capture the movement of sunlight and shadow. Ginnever visited the Kauffman Foundation and selected this site and positioning for his sculpture. The Museum is located two blocks north at the corner.

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