One Sun / 34 Moons

Artist Walter De Maria (American, 1935 - 2013)

Fabricator A. Zahner Sheet Metal Company (American, founded 1897)

Date2002

MediumGilt bronze, stainless steel, reflecting pool, neon illuminated skylights

DimensionsPart (sun): 17 inches, 40 1/2 × 33 3/4 feet (43.18 cm, 486 5/16 × 405 1/4 inches)
Part (pool): 9 inches, 134 1/16 × 161 1/16 feet (22.86 cm, 1609 1/16 × 1933 1/4 inches)
Each (moon): 36 inches (91.44 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the Hall Family Foundation

Object number2002.6

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park

Collections

Contemporary Art

Terms

DescriptionA black reflecting pool containing 34 asymetrically placed circular skylights and a gold-leaf rectangle that is slightly vaulted. Gold leaf over bronze and stainless steel substructure, reflecting pool, neon illuminated sky lights.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

Walter De Maria's One Sun / 34 Moons is a monumental installation that lives within time and timelessness. The gold-leaf rectangular Sun shines during the day, constantly reflecting the dance of actual sunlight and clouds overhead. At night, the 34 Moons, encircled by silvery white neon, emit a mysterious glow. Related to the cycles of day and night, the seasons and the heavens, One Sun / 34 Moons takes on cosmic and mythic proportions.

Provenance

Commissioned from the artist by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2002.

Published References

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection (Kansas City:

The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), 125, 239, (repro.).

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