Glass Labyrinth

Artist Robert Morris (American, 1931 - 2018)

Date2013

MediumGlass, steel, bronze, and stone

DimensionsOverall: 50 × 50 × 50 feet (15.24 × 15.24 × 15.24 meters)

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

Object number2014.13

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park

Collections

Contemporary Art

Terms

Description"Glass Labyrinth" is a triangular and three-dimensional form. A single opening serves as both the entry and exit point. Structural and transparent glass walls are arranged such that a visitor is led toward the central triangular space and returns via the same route. This path is not “spiral-like” nor is it a puzzling maze. Instead, glass panels block continuous flow, requiring the visitor to shift direction but always lead to the center and back to a safe exit. The glass panels are capped by protective inverted, U-shaped metal. A “door” that can be locked safeguards the entrance. Security cameras will provide additional safeguard.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

This sculpture is a true labyrinth with one single path. Visitors walk from the entrance to the center and must retrace their steps to the exit. Labyrinths are found throughout history—in prehistoric cave drawings, ancient Greek mythology and in the stone floors of French cathedrals to guide meditative walking.

Contemporary in form and material, Glass Labyrinth was created by Kansas City native and acclaimed artist Robert Morris. As you move through its potentially disorienting environment, we invite you to consider: is your experience a metaphor for negotiating the uncertainties of our time?

Provenance

Commissioned from the artist by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2014.

Published References

A Labyrinth for the Park: Celebrating the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park (Kansas City: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2014).
Michael E. Shapiro, Eleven Museums, Eleven Directors: Conversations on Art & Leadership (Atlanta: High Museum of Art, 2015), 154, (repro.).
New Glass Review 36 (New York: Corning Museum of Glass, 2015), 85, (repro.).

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