Serra, Richard | Promenade Notebook Drawing for Obama, 2008 — available on Composition Gallery

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From the Artist for Obama Portfolio. Etching on Bockingford Tints Grey paper.

Promenade Notebook Drawing for Obama by Richard Serra is a signed 2008 etching on Bockingford Tints Grey paper, published in the Artist for Obama Portfolio. Characterized by two monumental black forms set against a textured grey ground, the composition reflects Serra’s lifelong exploration of weight, balance, and spatial tension through stark geometric simplicity. The rough, granular edges of the dark shapes reveal the physical qualities of the etching process, reinforcing the artist’s interest in materiality and gesture. Best known for his monumental steel sculptures, Serra approached printmaking with the same emphasis on mass, presence, and the viewer’s perception of space. Issued in a signed edition of 150, this work demonstrates how minimal means can create a powerful visual and emotional impact.

Richard Serra (USA, 1938) is a renowned sculptor and minimalist artist, celebrated for his monumental steel installations. His work explores industrial materials, scale, and spatial interaction, creating immersive environments. Serra's sculptures are housed in leading institutions worldwide, including MoMA and the Guggenheim, defining modern public art.

Richard Serra

Promenade Notebook Drawing for Obama, 2008

Name: Promenade Notebook Drawing for Obama, 2008
SKU: 17707

Form

Limited Edition Print

Limited Edition PrintA limited edition print is one of a number of prints made at the same time from one printmaking plate. A fixed number are made and signed by the artist, indicating the printing order, using the format 1/10, meaning first of ten prints.

Medium

Etching

EtchingEtching is a technique where a design is created on a metal surface by using a strong acid or mordant to eat away the unprotected parts of the metal, leaving the desired pattern in relief (intaglio). In modern art and manufacturing, different chemicals may be used depending on the material being etched.

Edition

Edition of 150

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●Inventory 17707

●Signed

Limited Edition Print

Richard Serra was an American artist known primarily for his large-scale outdoor sculptures made of sheet metal and for his avant garde video work. His work is in the permanent collections of such institutions as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). He has been the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including France's prestigious Légion d’honneur, awarded to him in 2015. Although Richard Serra studied painting at Yale University, his choice of sheet metal as a medium may have had its genesis in his having worked in steel mills to support himself while doing his undergraduate work at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara. Richard Serra also cites his father's having worked in a shipyard as an early influence. He initially worked with molten lead, hurling or rolling it to create various effects. This was classified as "process-based" artwork, hence his association with the Process Art movement, which prioritized the process of creating artwork over the product of the finished piece. He eventually moved on to his preferred medium of steel sheet metal, usually in staggeringly large proportions (indeed, a worker was accidentally killed in 1971 while installing the piece Sculpture No, 3 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a steel plate weighing two tons fell and crushed him). Richard Serra's style is minimalist, using simple but bold shapes to indicate concepts in a broad and symbolic way; the viewer's mind can fill in the details to find a personal interpretation of the message. The large scale of Richard Serra’s work ensures that the impression made is powerful and timeless, and his installations, which tend to be site-specific, often allow and encourage the viewer to walk around or through the piece, gaining a unique perspective by contemplating its immensity from close range and even from within.

Artwork by Richard Serra

What is Postminimalism?

Postminimalism refers to a range of art styles that emerged in the 1960s, following the Minimalism movement. While Minimalism focused on simplicity and impersonality, Postminimalist artists retained some elements of Minimalism but also explored greater expressiveness, experimenting with new materials and techniques. This movement includes various forms of art such as conceptual art, body art, performance art, process art, and site-specific works. Postminimalism represents a shift toward more personal, tactile, and process-oriented approaches to art-making.

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Richard Serra

Promenade Notebook Drawing for Obama, 2008

33.7 x 27.3 cm

Language & Currency

Richard Serra