"Metropolitan" Candlestick Prototype

Robert A. M. Stern|Swid Powell

1983 · Polished and painted brass, painted steel · Modern and Contemporary Art

Stern has inverted the traditional proportions of a column shaft, which would normally taper towards the top, giving the impression of strength and solidity (an optical effect called meiosis that has its origins in ancient Greek architecture). Here, the shaft tapers toward the bottom, lending an attenuated elegance to the design.

Artist

Robert A. M. Stern|Swid Powell

Date

1983

Medium

Polished and painted brass, painted steel

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Gift of Swid Powell, 1985