Richard Nonas at Galerie Anne de Villepoix, Paris

The Galerie Anne de Villepoix in Paris hosted an exhibition of works by Richard Nonas from October 31, 2009 to January 9, 2010. Nonas, an American sculptor trained as an anthropologist, has not achieved the recognition his work merits, partly due to his late start in the early 1970s and a slow creative process. His practice oscillates between Minimalism and Land Art, using natural and industrial materials in both interior and exterior settings. While some pieces exhibit cold, controlled forms, others reveal a vulnerable, almost clumsy human touch, challenging the alienating tendencies of Minimalism. This oscillation destabilizes the viewer, as perceptions of 'dehumanized' installations are disrupted by contradictory signs. Nonas stated, 'Sculpture must change the mental and physical space into which we jump... transport us—in an instant—to another undeveloped, barely built place... Sculpture must make me leap.' The exhibition was reviewed by Erik Verhagen in art press n°363 (January 2010).