The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Cornwall Circle

Cornwall Circle

1991
(British, 1945-)
England, 20th century
slate
Diameter: 540 cm (212 5/8 in.)
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of the Cleveland Society for Contemporary Art on the occasion of its Thirtieth Anniversary 1991.111
© Richard Long, 2006 / Artists Right Society (ARS), New York Courtesy Haunch of Venison, London
Location: not on view

Description

Richard Long's art is based on nature and his interaction with it. He has explained, "My work is real, not illusory or conceptual. It is about real stones, real time, real actions. I use the world as I find it." This haunting sculpture contains almost 200 previously cut, irregular pieces of slate arranged in a circle. Long obtained the stones from a quarry in the small village of Delabole in Cornwall, England, which has been a source of materials for his sculptures since the 1960s. The quarry's usual customers are builders, who use cut slate for various architectural purposes such as floors, roofs, and counter tops. In providing these products, the quarry cuts the stone, often leaving discarded pieces. Long then selects these castoffs to create his evocative works of art. In Cornwall Circle, each stone is unique in shape, size, and textural markings. However, the overall arrangement is a unified composition with geologic and natural references. For example, when viewed from a low vantage point, the stones suggest a mountain range.
  • (Anthony d'Offay Gallery)
  • Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1992." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 2 (1993): 38-79. Reproduced: p. 50; Mentioned: p. 49-50, 66 www.jstor.org
    "1992 Annual Report." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 6 (1993): 215-95. Mentioned: p. 245, 287 www.jstor.org
    Sims, Lowery Stokes. The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content, and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 28, no. 132
    Donley, Gregory M., "Geometric Means", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 46 no. 05, May/June 2006 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 3 archive.org
  • Gallery One 2012. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2012-March 5, 2017).
    Extended Loan of Richard Long Sculpture. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 21-December 31, 2006).
    The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), Cleveland, OH (June 9-August 20, 2006).
    MOCA Cleveland (6/9/2006 - 8/20/2006): "The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art", no. 132, p. 124, color repr. p. 28.
    Signs of Affection: Gifts Honoring the Museum's 75th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 1992-January 3, 1993).
    London, 1991: Hayward Gallery, South Bank Center, Richard Long Walking in Circles, June 14-August 11, 1991.
  • {{cite web|title=Cornwall Circle|url=false|author=Richard Long|year=1991|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1991.111