Tools & Strategies
Richard Serra
Filmed in 2000 at Richard Serra’s Manhattan studio, the artist describes the various tools and conceptual strategies he has used throughout his career when working with lead and steel. Serra discusses his early focus on the nature of the art production process itself which resulted in his writing a Verb List (1967-68).
Multiple lead works that resulted from Serra acting out the Verb List are shown through archival images. Serra’s invention of a tool that twisted sheet metal around a wheel enabled him to shape steel in a new way—from the inside out. Torqued Ellipses (1996-97), which resulted from this process, are shown at Dia:Beacon in 2004.
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About the artists
Richard Serra was born in 1938 in San Francisco, California. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in English Literature in 1961, working at different steel mills to support himself during college. The artist later went on to receive a BFA in 1962 and an MFA in 1964, both from Yale University. In his work, Serra investigated the relationship between space, material, and movement. Through large-scale sculptures and site-specific installations, the artist manipulated mediums such as lead and steel to construct immersive geometric artworks that emphasize materiality and the relationship between the viewer and the spaces in which his works are installed.
