Four Lines Up Oblique V
George RICKEY
USA 1907-2002
Four Lines Up Oblique V 1977
Stainless Steel
Along with fellow American, Alexander Calder, George Rickey is an acclaimed master of kinetic art in which the main interest of a work is the subtle movement of finely balanced forms in response to air currents or touch.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Rickey migrated with his family to Scotland in 1913. He later studied history at Balliol College, Oxford University. Travel to Europe followed including art tuition in Paris. Back in the United States after military service during the Second World War, Rickey studied at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts and the Chicago Institute of Design.
Starting out as a painter, Rickey turned to sculpture after seeing the large steel abstractions of David Smith and the mobiles of Calder. His subsequent focus on kinetic sculpture reflected a keen interest in engineering and mechanics.
In the 1950s, Rickey refined a style of tall, stainless steel sculptures with multiple spear-like blades that swivel on precision bearings to create graceful arcs and ever-changing configurations subject to prevailing air currents.