A round wooden table, a sofa with two cushions, and an aluminium cup are objects from the kitchen of Ruth Schmidt, a friend of George Segal. Everyday objects form a piece of reality that has been removed from its original context and transferred to a foreign place – the museum. George Segal places a plaster figure of Ruth in this setting. Ghostly white, the figure stands out from the colourfulness of the real objects surrounding it. The woman sits strangely isolated and introverted in her familiar surroundings.
The white plaster emphasises the transformation from model to artwork. It is not a plaster cast that would reproduce every detail of the moulded figure, but bandages soaked in plaster that are applied to the person. This allows the artist to shape the surface according to his wishes, carve it out or artistically reshape it.
Born in New York in 1924, George Segal developed an early interest in the human condition, the relationship between people and their environment. He exhibited his plaster sculptures at the 4th documenta in 1968 and at documenta 6 in 1977. His works are attributed to Pop Art.
- Location & Dating
- 1964
- Material & Technique
- Gips, Eichenholz, Stoff, Aluminium
- Dimensions
- Sofa H. 92, B. 196, T. 74; Tisch H. 72,5 cm, Durchm. 135.
- Museum
- Von der Heydt Museum
- Inventory number
- P 0274