Slat - Richard Serra

Slat, sheet metal in English, is made up of five steel plates of 25 tons each, which can be erected up to 12 metres high. From the outside, the sculpture consists of four disjointed trapezoid-shaped plates. When entering the sculpture through one of the two entrances, a fifth plate appears and draws two unequal parts. The discovery of the artwork is inseparable from the movement of the spectator who moves around and within the sculpture without ever being able to apprehend it in its entirety.
Erected in 1984 at La Rose de Cherbourg, the artwork had been vandalised by wild posters and graffiti, and had been dismantled and stored for almost 20 years. The developer decided to relocate it on 15 December 2008, in the presence of Richard Serra, to a new, more suitable location: the Carrefour de la Folie.

A word about the artist

Born in 1939 in San Francisco, Richard Serra studied art at Yale University. In 1966, he moved to New York and created his first sculptures using unconventional materials such as rubber and neon. His artwork is probably best known for its abstract and monumental steel sculptures, which are part of the Minimalist movement. His work has been recognised throughout the world and has been exhibited in the most prestigious museums: Tate Gallery in London, Guggenheim in Bilbao, MOMA in New York.