Gillian Wise (1936 - 2020)

Aluminum
53 cm h
Signed and monogramed, titled and dated to underside

Provenance
Private Collection, UK


Gillian Wise studied stained glass design and production at Wimbledon College of Art from 1954-57. Subsequently she became an important figure in British abstract art, spanning both the British Constructivists and the Systems Group. Well known for her reliefs, Wise used geometric forms made from industrial materials to produce rigorous and systematic compositions.

A key component of constructivist theory was the integration of art and architecture, the most famous example being Monument to The Third International, or Tatlin’s Tower designed in 1919 by Vladimir Tatlin, a leading member of the Soviet avant-garde. In Britain, the constructivist movement carried on this tradition. In 1982/3 Wise collaborated with architects Chamberlain, Powell and Bon to produce a major artwork for the Barbican stairwell entitled The Alice Walls.

Seriatim Tower was conceived during a visit to New York in the 1980s, drawing inspiration from the souring buildings that dominated the Manhattan skyline. The work follows the principles of ‘seriatim’, meaning one after another, with the base - an expanding series of five layered multi-coloured polygons. The tower is dominated by right-angled pentagons in the shape of a letter L, a common motif seen in architectural plans. These pentagons grow in size and change colour as the tower rises. The shapes are systematically layered and rotated, slowly expanding outwards as well as upwards, with the final pieces seemingly floating on the edge of the tower.