Martin Puryear

Martin Puryear’s (b. 1941) extensive sculptural practice embraces a wide range of traditions and cultural histories associated with woodworking. Influenced by his time studying in Sierra Leone and Stockholm, Puryear uses labor-intensive techniques to explore concepts including identity and oppression. Fashioned out of handcrafted wood and reclaimed parts of a carriage that the artist found in a barn in France, The Load, 2012, contains a massive sphere resembling a human eye. Sited nearby, Big Phrygian, 2010–2014, a monumental sculpture of a liberty cap, is a symbol of resistance that appeared in both the American and French Revolutions. Looking out onto the Water Court from Room 1 and the Passage, these sculptures were part of the inaugural installation of works in the Pavilions.