Robert Irwin: Scrim veil—Black rectangle—Natural light, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1977)

Scrim veil—Black rectangle—Natural light, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1977), by California Light and Space artist Robert Irwin, is a large-scale installation that uniquely engages the Whitney’s iconic Breuer building and the natural light that emanates from the large window in the fourth floor gallery space. Part of the Whitney’s collection, the work was made specifically for the Museum’s fourth floor. It has not been exhibited since its 1977 debut, a pivotal moment that would set the course for Irwin’s subsequent artistic practice.

The presentation will be accompanied by a digitized version of the original Robert Irwin catalogue, published by the Whitney at the time of his 1977 exhibition, which includes an ambitious combination of images, project plans, and theoretical texts written by Irwin himself as well as biographical and exhibition information compiled by the exhibition’s curator, Richard Marshall. The catalogue will be updated with a new introduction by Whitney Chief Curator Donna De Salvo and will be available for viewing exclusively at whitney.org.

Robert Irwin: Scrim veil—Black rectangle—Natural light, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1977) is organized by Donna De Salvo, Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs.