Cathedral Garden #4

27 October 1963, commissioned from the artist by Terese and Alvin S. Lane (New York, NY); 2008, deposited on long-term loan to the Chazen Museum of Art; 2012, bequeathed to the Chazen Museum of Art

• Elvehjem Museum of Art. "The Terese and Alvin S. Lane Collection: Twentieth-Century Sculpture and Sculptors' Works on Paper." Madison, WI: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 1995. pp. 51, 133, cat. no. 41.4; pl. 15
• University of Wisconsin Foundation. "2007 University of Wisconsin Foundation Annual Report on Stewardship." Madison: UW Foundation, 2007. p. 29
• Glimcher, Arnold. "Louise Nevelson." New York: Praeger, 1972. p. 176

• Modernist Sculpture: The Terese & Alvin S. Lane Collection: Chazen Museum of Art, 7/19/2008–9/28/2008
• Lane Collection, The: Twentieth-Century Sculpture and Sculptors' Works on Paper: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 9/30/1995–12/3/1995

This towering, monochromatic black sculpture is a dense assemblage of wooden forms, constructed from found objects and abstract shapes arranged vertically. The complex composition features multiple stacked components organized into column-like structures standing side by side. These structures alternate between solid shapes and open spaces, creating a rhythmic interplay of filled and empty voids. The entire work is painted a uniform matte black, unifying the disparate elements while emphasizing contours and shadows. The central, tallest section consists of vertically stacked, open-faced boxes. Inside these compartments are arrangements of wooden scraps—curved fragments resembling furniture parts, turned spindles, and irregular geometric blocks—that create depth and shadowed recesses. Flanking this central area are two slender, rectangular pillars. The surface of each is covered with layered geometric and irregular shapes—narrow rectangles, blocks, and splintered pieces—arranged vertically. Both pillars feature two tiers, with the bottom halves wider than the top halves. The left pillar is nearly as tall as the central section, while the right pillar is shorter and narrower. The overall form is angular and heavy. Texture varies from smooth turned spindles to rough, grooved scraps. The diverse sizes and shapes of the wood elements—large and small, straight-edged and curvilinear—create a balanced composition of lines and contours across the structure.

• North America
• Sculpture
• Terese and Alvin S. Lane Collection
• Alt Text Accessible

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