The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Skywriter

1971

Christopher Wilmarth

(American, 1943–1987)
America
etched glass and wire
Diameter: 59 cm (23 1/4 in.); Overall: 228.6 cm (90 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Porter 1982.345
Location: Not on view

Description

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Christopher Wilmarth rejected the rational precision that motivated much minimalist sculpture. He preferred instead to work intuitively in a more expressive style. Particularly interested in the ephemeral quality of glass, he exploited its unique characteristics. Wilmarth wrote, "My work does not spell out, nor does it illustrate meaning. It is an instrument of evocation and requires as catalyst the soul of a sensitive person to engage its process of release, its story, its use." In Skywriter, Wilmarth used both clear and etched glass along with metal wire to produce a subtle interplay between shadow and illumination.
  • CMA 1984: "Year in Review 1983," Bulletin, LXXI (February 1984), p. 72, no. 119
    Cleveland, OH, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Contemporary Collection (17 August - 6 November 1983).
  • {{cite web|title=Skywriter|url=false|author=Christopher Wilmarth|year=1971|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1982.345