Wing Piece
In 1971 I was awarded the Rome Prize Fellowship in sculpture, also known as The Prix de Rome from The American Academy in Rome Italy. The award was for two years and consisted of a fantastic studio situation, good food, and the Italian passion for life. During 1972 I built Wing Piece in a period of about three months. I was influenced by the Italians and their relationship between art and historical culture. Two versions were built, one with a closed in panel, and the final version as you see it on the wall. After Wing was finished it was shipped to America and after a few exhibitions on the east coast, was returned to its crate where it stayed for 25 years. The piece was originally a floor piece and I had to fabricate a set of special steel brackets in order to mount the piece on the wall.