Before Summer

1992

Ron Arad English, born 1951

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About the Artwork

Architect Ron Arad specializes in designing chairs that are both furniture and sculpture, often using material outside the domain of typical furniture production. Before Summer is from a series of chairs made in the 1990s based on a simple U-curve. Here he uses sheet steel, exploiting the possibilities of the material to the fullest extent. The edge forms a single line that thickens in the center and tapers at the ends. The chair is meant to be used. Though the rocking base might appear too small to support movement, it is made stable by heavy internal weighting. The mirror finish activates the chair’s surface with reflections of its surroundings, effectively dematerializing it. Arad says that in works like this he is exploring the language of painting, which he defines as flowing line, weightlessness of material, and abstract gesture. From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)

Title Before Summer

Artwork Date 1992

Artist Ron Arad

Life Dates born 1951

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. English

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Stainless steel

Dimensions Overall: 52 × 71 × 14 inches (132.1 × 180.3 × 35.6 cm)

Classification Furniture

Department Contemporary Art after 1950

Credit Gift of A. Alfred Taubman

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2008.587

Markings

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Provenance

A. Alfred Taubman (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA)

2009-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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