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Whitney Museum of American Art
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Whitney Museum of American Art
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Ricky Swallow

A collection of bronze objects on a bronze stairs.

Ricky Swallow, Stair with Contents, 2013. Patinated bronze, 22 × 35 × 22 in. (55.9 × 88.9 × 55.9 cm). Edition no. 1/1 + 1 AP. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Brian Forrest

A collection of bronze objects on a bronze stairs.

Born 1974 in San Remo, Australia
Lives and Works in Los Angeles, CA

“Bronze,” Ricky Swallow has said, “is a kind of beautiful alchemical wizardry.” His cast-bronze sculptures press this durable and refined material into service to lend permanence to ephemeral and humble objects—constructions the artist makes primarily of cardboard. In turn, these constructions often reference domestic forms, such as pottery, chair backs, and guitars, as well as elements from architecture and decorative arts. The found cardboard that he uses shows signs of wear and of his provisional methods of construction, courting an appearance of casual composition that is contradicted by the experimentation and craft invested in his sculpture practice. Alluding to ceramic glazes or the surface of plaster or pewter, the patinas of Swallow’s bronzes become intrinsic to the objects’ materiality while making them materially ambiguous. His sculptures are the “preserved gestures” of everyday objects, re-presented so that new formal characteristics and aesthetic qualities can be made visible.


On View
Fourth Floor 

Ricky Swallow’s work is on view in the Museum’s fourth floor galleries.

Works by Ricky Swallow

  • A collection of bronze objects on a bronze stairs.

    Ricky Swallow, Stair with Contents, 2013. Patinated bronze, 22 × 35 × 22 in. (55.9 × 88.9 × 55.9 cm). Edition no. 1/1 + 1 AP. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Brian Forrest

    A collection of bronze objects on a bronze stairs.

  • Ricky Swallow, Stair with Contents, 2013. Patinated bronze. Edition no. 1/1 + 1 AP, 22 x 35 x 22 in. (55.9 x 88.9 x 55.9 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Modern Art, London, and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney

  • A green bronze penetrated by a thread.

    Ricky Swallow, Z Sculpture with String, 2014. Patinated bronze, 3 1/2 × 10 × 5 in. (8.9 × 25.4 × 12.7 cm), unique. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen

    A green bronze penetrated by a thread.
  • A green bronze penetrated by a thread.

    Ricky Swallow, Z Sculpture with String, 2014. Patinated bronze, 3 1/2 × 10 × 5 in. (8.9 × 25.4 × 12.7 cm), unique. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen

    A green bronze penetrated by a thread.
  • A bronze object.

    Ricky Swallow, Reversed Pitcher 1, 2013. Patinated bronze, 10 × 6 × 7 1/2 in. (25.4 × 15.2 × 19.1 cm), unique. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen

    A bronze object.
  • A tall chair made of bronze.

    Ricky Swallow, Chair Study/Ripple (soot), 2013. Patinated bronze, 25 × 9 × 2 1/2 in. (63.5 × 22.9 × 6.4 cm), Edition no. 1/1 + 1 AP. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen

    A tall chair made of bronze.
  • Top part of a tall bronze chair.

    Ricky Swallow, Chair Study/Ripple (soot), 2013. Patinated bronze, 25 × 9 × 2 1/2 in. (63.5 × 22.9 × 6.4 cm), Edition no. 1/1 + 1 AP. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen

    Top part of a tall bronze chair.
  • Side view of top part of a tall bronze chair.

    Ricky Swallow, Chair Study/Ripple (soot), 2013. Patinated bronze, 25 × 9 × 2 1/2 in. (63.5 × 22.9 × 6.4 cm), Edition no. 1/1 + 1 AP. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen

    Side view of top part of a tall bronze chair.
  • Side view of top part of a tall bronze chair.

    Ricky Swallow, Chair Study/Ripple (soot), 2013. Patinated bronze, 25 × 9 × 2 1/2 in. (63.5 × 22.9 × 6.4 cm), Edition no. 1/1 + 1 AP. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen

    Side view of top part of a tall bronze chair.

  • Ricky Swallow, Skewed Arches/Tall 1, 2013, Patinated bronze, 36 × 9 × 7 in. (91.4 × 22.9 × 17.8 cm), Unique, Collection of the artist; courtesy Modern Art, London, and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney

  • Ricky Swallow, Skewed Arches/Tall 1, 2013, Patinated bronze, 36 × 9 × 7 in. (91.4 × 22.9 × 17.8 cm), Unique, Collection of the artist; courtesy Modern Art, London, and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney

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