Manuel Neri

Carla V, 1964

Plaster, oil-based enamel, graphite, wood, wire on wood base
67 x 22.5 x 20 in.

Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust

Neri began making sculptures of the female form in the late 1950s during his relationship with fellow artist and painter Joan Brown. He began working with plaster during this period as well, often benefitting from its quick preparation, low cost, and versatility. 

In Carla V, Neri uses color as a means of both obscuring and emphasizing gestures left on the surface of the heavily-worked plaster. He began with a wire armature, to which he quickly added plaster. Using spatulas, knives, and his own hands, the artist gouged, slashed, filed, and sanded the form into shape, modeling plaster, when wet, like malleable clay, and carving it when dry, like stone or wood. The rough, irregular surface of the sculpture embodies the speed and vigor with which it was made. Color animates and complicates the surfaces of Carla V, resulting in a dynamic, abstract composition that is integral to the reading of the form. 

Exhibition:

February 18 - July 16, 2017

In 2015, the Nasher Sculpture Center was invited to select works to be donated from the Manuel Neri Trust. The resultant gift (six sculptures and ten drawings) comprises one of the most important public repositories of the artist’s work, highlighting significant developments in Neri’s career and providing insight into his working process. Manuel Neri: Recent Acquisitions from the Artist’s Trust celebrates this extraordinary gift and highlights the work of this important American sculptor and draftsman.