#herbert ferber

[philamuseum]

Imagining what it would be like to experience a sculpture from inside the sculpture, Herbert Ferber installed "Sculpture as Environment" at the Whitney Museum in 1961. Dancers interacted with the forms, introducing concepts that would be more broadly explored by future generations of installation and performance artists. "Herbert Ferber: Form into Space" is on view through January 5. 

 Installation view of "Sculpture as Environment" by Herbert Ferber at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1961

[jenniferstmary]

Herbert Ferber

[philamuseum]

Suspending a sculpture in a cage-like form enabled Herbert Ferber to create the illusion of weightlessness. Ferber explored this dynamic relationship between mass and void in a series of sculptures he collectively titled “Homage to Piranesi.” "Herbert Ferber: Form into Space" is on view through January 5. 

"Homage to Piranesi II," 1962, by Herbert Ferber  

[philamuseum]

In his drawings, sculptor Herbert Ferber could envision forms in space free from the burden of gravity. Explore the relationships between Ferber’s drawings and sculptures in "Herbert Ferber: Form into Space," on view now. 

 “The House (The Staircase),” 1956, by Herbert Ferber (Collection Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York, gift of Roy R. Neuberger)

 “Untitled,” 1956, by Herbert Ferber (Estate of Herbert Ferber, courtesy of Waqas Wajahat, New York)

[philamuseum]

Interested in open forms and the spaces they create, Herbert Ferber began “framing” his sculptures in the 1950s. Balancing a sculpture’s base with a “roof” enabled him to create a dynamic sense of tension between the two parallel planes. "Herbert Ferber: Form into Space" is on view through January 5. 

 “Roofed Sculpture with “S” Curve II,” 1954, by Herbert Ferber © Herbert Ferber

[philamuseum]

Now open: "Herbert Ferber: Form into Space" showcases Ferber’s sculptures and related drawings from the mid-twentieth century, offering viewers a glimpse into this distinctive and innovative artist’s mind. 

"Untitled," 1953, by Herbert Ferber

[philamuseum]

Coming soon: "Herbert Ferber: Form into Space" explores the innovative mid-century work of this American artist who believed the future of sculpture lay as much in the shaping of space as it did in the shaping of physical form. Opening July 2. 

"Homage to Piranesi II," 1962, by Herbert Ferber © Herbert Ferber

[soundgrammar]

Herbert Ferber, Gray Sculpture, 1954, copper and lead on copper base, 20 x 18 3⁄4 x 11 7⁄8 in. (50.9 x 47.6 x 30.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Susan Morse Hilles, 1977.2.2