Marble
University of Notre Dame
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Triads

Date

1958

Creator

George Rickey

Location

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

Triads, completed in 1958, is a wall-mounted sculpture that rocks to and fro in the wind. Its form, punctuated by three sets of circular frames located in the upper, middle, and lower regions, recalls a spiral cranking motion. A gimbal situated in the middle near the perpendicular wall mount allows the sculpture to swing with the air current, while the solid disks at top and the hollow circles at bottom also rotate when the vertical balance is disrupted. The implied volume of these circling parts, and the repetition of their round shape at the top, center, and bottom of the sculpture, suggest a cylinder—a shape that is outlined by the wires stretching between the ends of the sculpture. Rickey’s economical use of stainless steel is highlighted by the thinness of the metal circles and delicacy of the wires. from Kephart, Passages of Light and Time: George Rickey's Life in Motion (Notre Dame, 2009)

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Triads, completed in 1958, is a wall-mounted sculpture that rocks to and fro in the wind. Its form, punctuated by three sets of circular frames located in the upper, middle, and lower regions, recalls a spiral cranking motion. A gimbal situated in the middle near the perpendicular wall mount allows the sculpture to swing with the air current, while the solid disks at top and the hollow circles at bottom also rotate when the vertical balance is disrupted. The implied volume of these circling parts, and the repetition of their round shape at the top, center, and bottom of the sculpture, suggest a cylinder—a shape that is outlined by the wires stretching between the ends of the sculpture. Rickey’s economical use of stainless steel is highlighted by the thinness of the metal circles and delicacy of the wires. from Kephart, Passages of Light and Time: George Rickey's Life in Motion (Notre Dame, 2009)
Open external viewer application
  • Triads, completed in 1958, is a wall-mounted sculpture that rocks to and fro in the wind. Its form, punctuated by three sets of circular frames located in the upper, middle, and lower regions, recalls a spiral cranking motion. A gimbal situated in the middle near the perpendicular wall mount allows the sculpture to swing with the air current, while the solid disks at top and the hollow circles at bottom also rotate when the vertical balance is disrupted. The implied volume of these circling parts, and the repetition of their round shape at the top, center, and bottom of the sculpture, suggest a cylinder—a shape that is outlined by the wires stretching between the ends of the sculpture. Rickey’s economical use of stainless steel is highlighted by the thinness of the metal circles and delicacy of the wires. from Kephart, Passages of Light and Time: George Rickey's Life in Motion (Notre Dame, 2009)
  • Triads, completed in 1958, is a wall-mounted sculpture that rocks to and fro in the wind. Its form, punctuated by three sets of circular frames located in the upper, middle, and lower regions, recalls a spiral cranking motion. A gimbal situated in the middle near the perpendicular wall mount allows the sculpture to swing with the air current, while the solid disks at top and the hollow circles at bottom also rotate when the vertical balance is disrupted. The implied volume of these circling parts, and the repetition of their round shape at the top, center, and bottom of the sculpture, suggest a cylinder—a shape that is outlined by the wires stretching between the ends of the sculpture. Rickey’s economical use of stainless steel is highlighted by the thinness of the metal circles and delicacy of the wires. from Kephart, Passages of Light and Time: George Rickey's Life in Motion (Notre Dame, 2009)
George Rickey (American, 1907 - 2002)
1958
Sculpture
Stainless steel and brass
2009.064.012
American
assembling
ball-bearing hinges
burnishing
Constructivist
engineering concepts
Kinetic
Minimal
stainless steel
© George Rickey
Raclin Murphy Museum: B01B
53 x 41 in. (134.62 x 104.14 cm)
Gift of the George Rickey Foundation

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.