Rago Auctions

The characteristic welded steel assemblages of Anthony Caro are represented in the collection by Medusa (1989), part of a distinct series inspired by figures from classical Greek mythology. The contorted steel elements fold, hinge, wither, and float outward, while the circular metal center transfixes and anchors visual attention inward. In Bernar Venet's Three Indeterminate Lines (1993), coils of rolled steel overlap like sections of an oversized spring or a frenetic scribble that extends the artist's conceptual preoccupation with the mathematical precision of the line. The material's heft collides with a sense of spontaneity, potential, and energetic tension, ready to unfurl at any moment. An exploration of materiality continues with Untitled (1982), an early work by Robert Lobe that demonstrates the malleability of metal. The artist is known for his process of bringing sheets of aluminum into the forest, pounding and hammering them around tree limbs and boulders. The resulting relief assemblages form metallic excerpts of nature.

The artwork a couple chooses to collect and live with has always fascinated me, and in this case, Jerry and Dina's relationship, their generous philanthropic support of the arts, and Dina Wind's practice as an artist intimately overlap. The collection gathered over decades becomes emblematic of this connectivity.

The unusual cast bronze vessels in Fruit Bottles (1989) by Tony Cragg are unexpectedly imbued with the reverence of relics. The scattered composition introduces an element of chance associated with unearthed archeological ruins, cast away detritus, or perhaps fallen fruit rotting and sinking into the ground. This pivot work marks a shift from the artist's accumulated found object installations to his later large-scale cast organic forms. Paul Chaleff is known for his colossal pottery forms that, at first glance, resemble metal or stone due to their scale and texture; their surfaces are rough and gestured as the artist deliberately includes mistakes that are planned accidents. He uses imperfection to push the viewer to consider the difference between perfection and beauty. Cog, Cone, and Cauldron (1993) underscore a connection within the Wind collection between industrial remnants, utilitarian forms, nature, and abstraction.
 

Evident at the heart of this collection is Dina Wind as an artist. Her sculptures of industrial objects and found steel scraps welded into improvisational compositions are equally lyrical and solidly grounded. Her consistent themes of chance, kinetic potential, found forms, and material possibility of metal reverberates across the fellow sculptors in the collection. The sculptures delineate an aesthetic vocabulary and familiar lineage Dina Wind shared with the artwork of mentors, muses, and friends. It is an incredibly intimate and decidedly physical dialogue that transpires through material, form, space, and texture. The artwork a couple chooses to collect and live with has always fascinated me, and in this case, Jerry and Dina's relationship, their generous philanthropic support of the arts, and Dina Wind's practice as an artist intimately overlap. The collection gathered over decades becomes emblematic of this connectivity.

About Grounds For Sculpture

Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) is a 42-acre not-for-profit sculpture park, arboretum, and museum founded by the late Seward Johnson. Featuring over 300 contemporary sculptures by renowned and emerging artists in a beckoning, ever-changing landscape, Grounds For Sculpture combines art and nature to surprise, inspire, and engage visitors from all backgrounds in the artist's act of invention. In addition to its permanent collection, Grounds For Sculpture offers exhibitions in six indoor galleries alongside experiential art, horticulture, and wellness programs for all ages. Located in Hamilton, New Jersey, Grounds For Sculpture is accessible from the New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas by public transit and is open year-round. For more information, visit groundsforsculpture.org.