Ariel

Artist / Maker Seymour Lipton (American, 1903 - 1986)

Date1978

MediumMetal (nickel silver on monel metal)

Dimensions32 x 32 x 28 in. (81.3 x 81.3 x 71.1 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Barbara and James Palmer. Iowa Art in State Buildings Project Howe Hall In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa..

Object numberU2002.6

Status

On view

Collections

Label TextAriel almost appears to lift off its base into flight. It is representative of the artist's later works characterized by a great sense of selfcontentment, balance and stability. The title may refer to the twelfth of Uranus's known satellites, or to a mischievous spirit from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Seymour Lipton was born in New York City in 1903. After graduating from Columbia University he began his professional career as a dentist, but was always interested in sculpture. In the early 1930s he began sculpting in wood and plaster. During the 1930s and 40s he participated in many art exhibits, both group and solo. He also taught at the New School for Social Research, New York. About 1950 he arrived at his mature artistic style of sculpture. Lipton uniformly worked in an abstract idiom, and he was committed to content. His work appears to be full of struggle and is often based on challenging and conflicting subjects. Although the themes are not always obvious, the sculptures can be emotionally disturbing.

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