Heinz Mack

Acquired from the artist by the present owner in 1967

Dieter Honisch, Mack Skulpturen 1953-1986, Düsseldorf, 1986, no. 183 (with incorrect measurements)

Aluminium on wood with Plexiglas feet screwed to the bottom. There are some light scratches and surface rubbing on some of the cube's faces, visible under close inspection, and some dents on the raised parts of the aluminium. However, these appear to be inherent to the moulding process. The work is otherwise in good condition.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For me, light is immaterial, and in my case, I prefer to make works that are instruments for light. My sculptures do have a kind of function: of making light visible.

Heinz Mack 

Heinz Mack and Otto Piene founded the ZERO artist group in 1957 when studying at Düsseldorf art academy. Their resolution was to forget everything they knew about art and the world and thus overcome the legacies of World War II. They developed concrete structures which reflect notions of motion, space and light, but never assume a realistic dimension. Executed in 1967, Cube of Light is an intermediate between a two-dimensional image and a sculpture, each face of the cube appearing as a relief. A series of bulges flow rhythmically over the shiny silver surface, dissolving the parallel structure of lines. Viewers are struck by the beauty of the reflections which encourages them to move and take the endless images in from different angles. They thus actively become part of a work that makes the immateriality of light perceivable.