The Dilemma of Griffin's Cat
Artist:
Larry Bell
(American, born 1939)
Date: 1980
Dimensions:
Overall: 10 × 17 × 17 ft (304.9 × 518.3 × 518.3 cm)
12 panels: 10 × 5 ft (304.9 × 152.4 cm), each
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by The Brown Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts
Object number: 80.89
Copyright: © Larry Bell
Published References
Hall, Douglas Kent. "Shaping Light: Light & Illusions in the Work of Larry Bell," in Zones of Experience: The Art of Larry Bell. Albuquerque: The Albuquerque Museum, 1997, p. 47.
Label Text
Since the 1960s, Larry Bell has explored the possibilities of light and perception in glass sculptures and installations. To create subtle optical shifts, he applies thin metallic coatings on glass panels using a commercial vacuum deposition process with a ten-foot long, seven-foot diameter vacuum chamber nicknamed “The Tank.” The Dilemma of Griffin’s Cat is a modular sculpture comprised of twelve rectangular and triangular shaped panels of half-inch plate glass coated with Inconel—a metallic alloy used in the aerospace and automotive industries that can withstand extreme pressure and high temperatures. Bell refers to the glass as walls since each component is a towering ten feet tall by five feet wide and they are installed at right angles directly on the floor, secured with silicone adhesive. The material’s transparent and reflective qualities effortlessly dissolve the boundaries between beholder, artwork, and exhibition space.
The Dilemma of Griffin’s Cat marks an important moment in SAMA’s history as it was commissioned for the museum’s 1981 opening. If you were one of the museum’s first visitors, then you had the pleasure of experiencing this immersive artwork upon entering the Great Hall. Bell’s mechanically fabricated glass walls perfectly complemented the old brewery’s industrial past and its adaptive reuse, capitalizing on the building’s light-filled main lobby—its many skylights and windows offering endless reflective possibilities with the sun’s daily movements.
(Lana Meador, 2023)
The Dilemma of Griffin’s Cat marks an important moment in SAMA’s history as it was commissioned for the museum’s 1981 opening. If you were one of the museum’s first visitors, then you had the pleasure of experiencing this immersive artwork upon entering the Great Hall. Bell’s mechanically fabricated glass walls perfectly complemented the old brewery’s industrial past and its adaptive reuse, capitalizing on the building’s light-filled main lobby—its many skylights and windows offering endless reflective possibilities with the sun’s daily movements.
(Lana Meador, 2023)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
