As a pioneering figure in the development of “finish fetish,” an aesthetic that emerged in Southern California in the 1960s, John McCracken emphasized pristine surfaces and meticulous craftsmanship in his distinctive body of work. Red Plank is one of the first sculptures from the series for which McCracken became best known: tall, narrow planks that lean against the wall, painted in jewel-like colors and buffed to a reflective sheen.

The factory-made appearance of Red Plank belies the labor-intensive process of its making: McCracken applied fiberglass and as many as twenty to thirty coats of colored polyester resin to a plywood armature, which he then painstakingly polished to produce seamlessly smooth surfaces akin to the glossy finish of surfboards. Red Plank was featured in his 1967 solo exhibition at Nicholas Wilder Gallery, where it was acquired by architect Frank Gehry. The work remained in the Gehrys’ collection until it was gifted to the museum.

Wall label, 2021.