Drawing Without Paper

In the mid-1920s, the sculptor Julio González abandoned casting and began using the techniques of forging and welding iron to create what he called “drawings in space,” a series of innovative works that challenged the perception of mass and gravity traditionally associated with the experience of sculpture.

The idea of “drawing in space” proved highly influential for a number of artists throughout the mid- to late twentieth century, especially Alexander Calder, Ruth Asawa, David Smith, and Gego. By exploring notions of transparency and weightlessness with lines and forms, they redefined how sculpture interacts with the surrounding environment. Other artists complicated the definition of drawing by experimenting with line, materiality, process, and even the outdoor landscape, including Sheila Hicks, Dorothea Rockburne, Richard Tuttle, Zarina, Ana Mendieta, Dennis Oppenheim, Liliana Porter, Oscar Muñoz and Richard Long.

Titled after a work by Gego (1912–1994) recently gifted to The Met by Lilly Scarpetta, Drawing without Paper features a select group of works that embrace an expanded notion of drawing, freeing the line into space. The installation is curated by Iria Candela, Estrellita B Brodsky Curator of Latin American Art, Modern and Contemporary Art.

The installation is made possible by The Modern Circle.

Image Credit: Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt). Venezuelan, born Germany, 1912–1994. Drawing without Paper (detail) 86/18, 1986. Iron, aluminum, and nylon. 49 5/8 × 18 7/8 × 9/16 in. (126 × 48 × 1.5 cm). Gift of Lilly Scarpetta, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary, 2020.

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