My first job as a graphic designer out of Cranbrook was working at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. As soon as I arrived , I was asked to design the invitation to Richard Serra’s retrospective. I’ve read stories about Mr. Serra’s temper and passion, but he was nothing but welcoming and friendly to me when I showed him the comps of the invitation. I was in awe.
I got to walk around behind the scenes as his work was being installed at MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary. If I remember correctly, they had to cut a giant hole in the side of the building in order to get the work inside.
It’s hard to talk about Richard Serra’s sculptures, because they’re better experienced first-hand. I wonder if he has ever been influenced by the slot canyons of Utah’s red rock canyon country. His leaning and twisting surfaces of steel rusting away, remind me of the red iron-stained walls of the natural rock canyons out West.
The San Rafael Reef, Utah
Little Wild Horse Canyon
