Louise Nevelson (American, b. Russia 1899-1988) Rain Garden Zag IX, 1978 Wood with paint Gift of Western College Alumnae Association, Inc. 1980.37
One of the leading artists in Abstract Expressionism, Louise
Nevelson rebelled against gender stereotypes, despite
working within a movement where abstraction was highly
gendered. Rain Garden Zag IX is a carefully-considered
arrangement of boxes filled with rich shapes and repeating
patterns. The piece was purposefully constructed to play
with light and shadow, an effect made even more dramatic
with its black matte finish. Nevelson’s work inspired a
change in discourse that foregrounded women’s life
experiences as suitable subject matter. While Nevelson’s
sculpture may relate to one of her recurring themes of
marriage, death, and royalty, the true spirit of Rain Garden
Zag IX remains a mystery, much like many of her famously
large, monochrome “walls.”