Joel Perlman's Steel and Bronze Sculptures at Loretta Howard Gallery Challenge Material Obsolescence

From September 8 to October 8, 2016, Loretta Howard Gallery in New York presented six new sculptures by Joel Perlman. The exhibition featured works primarily in steel, with four pieces cast in bronze using a Styrofoam and lost-wax process. Perlman's intimate knowledge of industrial metal, developed through decades of practice, demonstrates how material mastery remains essential to sculpture's formal essence rather than representing an obsolete style. His education included studying with welded sculpture pioneer Brian Wall at London's Central School of Art before completing degrees at Cornell and Berkeley. The sculptures continue David Smith's tradition of innovative drawing in three dimensions, particularly evident in works like Masterpiece (2015) and Double Trouble (2015). Perlman employs a motif of open circular frames punctuated by triangular and half-round shards that function as calligraphic accents, creating abstract compositions that balance implied mechanical references with pure form. Larger pieces like Wonder Wheel (2015–16) and Broadway (2016) feature powder painting techniques that create ionic bonds between pigment and surface. The exhibition argues against dismissing technical material knowledge as historical, positioning Perlman's work within sculpture's ongoing evolution through intuitive, non-verbal methodology.