Known for her architectonic sculptures, precise geometric constructions, and distinctive wood-based installations, Jackie Ferrara (1929–2005) is regarded as a vital figure in postwar American art and a pioneer of sculptural languages that merge architecture, mathematics, and ritual form. Over six decades, she pursued a rigorous investigation of structure, pattern, and spatial perception, beginning with the stacked and stepped wooden forms of the late 1960s and 1970s that evoke ancient architectures while emphasizing process and modularity. Her practice expanded in the 1980s and 1990s to include intricate surface patterns, large-scale public commissions in brick, stone, and tile, and a parallel body of works on paper that reflect the same measured logic of repetition and variation. Across all media, Ferrara used elemental materials to generate complex systems of rhythm and proportion, creating environments and objects that transform simple means into spatial experiences of remarkable clarity and depth.
Courtesy of the Jackie Ferrara Foundation
