Larry Bell considers the surfaces of his works to be paramount, and it was the surface properties of glass—simultaneously hard, transparent, and reflective—that attracted him to the material. He began vacuum coating glass in 1962, using a process that deposits a thin film of vaporized material on the surface. This coating modifies how the glass absorbs, reflects, and transmits light, and allows Bell to create infinite variations in the color, transparency, and reflectivity of his glass works. Vacuum-coated sculptures, including Cube, form the core of Bell’s practice. He continues to work with vacuum coatings today, at different scales and with materials that now include paper and polyester film in addition to glass.
Exhibition label: Light, Space, Surface: Works from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2021, Carol S. Eliel.
