Dialogue with Steel

In Dialogue with Steel, and exhibition of Albert Paley's work, one might find it hard to believe that he began his artistic career as a jeweler. Paley was one of the major goldsmiths of the studio art movement in America. Today, he is best known for his monumental sculpture. Yet looking closel... Read more

In Dialogue with Steel, and exhibition of Albert Paley’s work, one might find it hard to believe that he began his artistic career as a jeweler. Paley was one of the major goldsmiths of the studio art movement in America. Today, he is best known for his monumental sculpture. Yet looking closely at these elaborate, impressive, and often site-specific installations, one sees the continuum of Paley’s creativity; challenging metal of all types is his foundation. The fluidity of molten metal is evident in the ribbons and decorative patterns so prevalent and identifiable in his designs. Yet the hardness of steel is also apparent in the starkness of many of his larger abstract works, softened simply by the prominence of bright color and its ability to evoke strong emotions.