Cobra

Object NameSculpture

Artist / Maker Charles "Chuck" Ginnever (American, 1931 - 2019)

Date1984

MediumSteel

Dimensions75 × 154 × 18 in. (190.5 × 391.2 × 45.7 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald D. Kohs. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Art Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.

Object numberU2020.20

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: Cobra is a part of Charles Ginnever’s Flat Illusion series, a concept and method of creating sculpture that continued to expand throughout his career. Ginnever considered these sculptures as “open” or “closed” depending on whether the folded planes create views through the surrounding landscape. Through his monumental public sculptures, Ginnever challenged the viewer’s method of receiving and processing visual information. Often installed directly into the ground without a pedestal, the sculptures are meant to be seen as emerging directly from the landscape. In the 1960s Ginnever explored how sculpture challenged the ability of viewers to perceive space and visual information accurately. In his early work, Ginnever applied the ideas of Abstract Expressionism to sculpture, creating an abstract image in metal that is meant to be experienced in the round. By viewing the sculpture from multiple angles, and taking in the landscape and the shifting forms, visitors experience a meditative and self-reflective space.

Locations