Explore That Profile

Read About This Sculpture by Martin Puryear

Martin Puryear’s sculpture stands 45 feet tall on the Getty Center plaza. That’s as tall as a four-story building! The sculpture balances on six thin legs and is made from stainless steel tubes that have been welded together and sandblasted to give them texture. Bronze strands that look silver hold the joints together. At first glance, the sculpture looks simple, but the more you look at it, the more details you notice.

The sculpture’s meaning is open to interpretation. Some people think it looks like a delicate fishnet floating against the sky, while others see a human head from the side. Depending on where you stand, it can look completely different. From some angles it appears round, but one side is flat while the other curves gently.

Puryear created this sculpture to be site-specific for the Getty Center, which means he designed it specifically for this location. The modern, clean style of architect Richard Meier’s buildings inspired Puryear to create an abstract sculptural shape. Even though the sculpture is made from heavy materials like steel and bronze, it looks light and airy against the sky because of its clever design.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• Look closely at the sculpture. What do you see? Describe both the sculpture and the area around it.
• What do you think Puryear thought about when he was designing this sculpture for the Getty Center?
• If you were making this sculpture, what material would you choose?
• Imagine looking at this sculpture in the morning versus the evening, or in summer versus winter. How would different times of day or seasons change the way it looks?
• Why do you think Puryear named the sculpture That Profile? What would you name it based on its shape, structure, and location?
• What kind of sculpture do you like? Do you prefer big monuments or small carvings? Do you like sculptures that look like real things, or do you prefer abstract art that doesn’t look like anything specific? Why?

Artwork created to exist in a specific location.