All Photos By Gail

Between 1959 and 1960 Gego (Gertrude Goldschmidt) and her partner Gerd Leufert spent a year in the United States. While in Iowa Gego created this three-dimensional work, titled Sphere (1959). The sculpture epitomizes her investigation of “Lineus Paraleles“ (parallel lines).

Installation View, Guggenheim Museum

In Sphere, planes made from linear elements intersect and overlap to distort the viewer’s perception, creating the optical illusion of movement. In 1960, Sphere was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, one of the first US institutions to collect and exhibit her work. The museum subsequently included it in several group exhibitions, most notably The Responsive Eye (1965). This historic representation of Op art (art that utilizes geometric forms to generate optical effects.) featured artists such as Josef Albers, Max Bill, Carlos, Cruz-Diez, Ellsworth, Kelly, Julio Le Parc, Bridget Riley, and Jesus Rafael Soto.

Photographed in the Guggenheim Museum in New York City as part of The Exhibit Measuring Infinity, On View Through September 10th, 2023.