Accession Number
2015/2.101

Title
Telamon

Artist(s)
Arthur Gibbons

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1989

Medium & Support
steel

Dimensions
156 in x 72 in (396.24 cm x 182.88 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Jack A. and Noreen Rounick

Subject matter
Similar to Gibbons' other, large-scale steel constructions produced in the late 1980s and early 90s, this sculpture builds from earlier, smaller experiments with sculptural construction. Contemporary trends in Neo-Expressionism can be seen here, with the combination of abstract forms and mythical subject matter. The title of this work refers to a figure from Greek mythology, Telamon. In Homer's "Iliad," Telamon is the father of the heros Ajax the Great and Teucer the Archer, and he assisted Heracles in some of his earlier pursuits. Telamon, typically depicted as a caryatid, is presented in Gibbon's abstract sculpture as a monumental figure standing imposingly in a landscape. 

Physical Description
This sculpture has a series of intersecting steel sheets with jagged edges to create a single figure.

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Primary Object Type
direct metal sculpture

Additional Object Classification(s)
Sculpture

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
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Keywords
Neo-Expressionist
heroes
metalwork (visual works)
mythology (literary genre)
outdoor sculpture
steelwork (visual works)