The New Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing at The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

by Casey Brewton

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Picture by Konstantinos Koukopoulos

September 28, 2009

It’s funny the power that a Sol LeWitt wall drawing exerts over its viewers. It draws you in and makes you want to get closer and then step back and then re-approach. You can not help but stand and stare. The only ones I have ever seen have been of colossal proportions and installed above doorways and entryway openings—including Wall Drawing #995 Color Geometric Form (outline), newly installed at Charlotte’s very own Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, slated to open on January 2, 2010. When I visited the Bechtler just over a week ago, the scaffolding still blocked a clear view of the work and the group of community volunteer artists were scurrying about adding final touches here and there, but the curious glimpses I caught of the wall drawing allowed me to fuse together what the finished piece would look like beyond the digital rendering I held in my hand. As memories of art history classes rushed my head, I began to contemplate the colors, perspective, and concept of an artist executing another artist’s plan.

A pioneer of minimalism and conceptualism, Sol LeWitt found the concept and his ideas behind his art to actually be the art first and foremost, and the final result was really a by-product of the whole creative process. Developing ideas and concepts, envisioning a new work, and mapping out the design served as the primary elements in LeWitt’s creative process. LeWitt would utilize variations and repetitions of simple geometric forms along with precise calculations to design his wall drawings. Then writing out intricate instructions on how to actually make the wall drawing, he would leave it up to a team of draftsmen to implement the work, much like in medieval and Renaissance times when a famous painter or sculptor would employ a workshop and team of apprentices to carry out large scale works. Yet in LeWitt’s practice, the artist is not actually present to direct the workshop or apprentices. Nowadays, since Sol LeWitt died in 2007, the LeWitt Foundation is responsible for sending out lead draftsmen to execute new works based on instructions left by LeWitt himself. In the case of Wall Drawing #995, Jesse Goode was the lead draftsman, directing a team of seven volunteer artists, some of whom came from UNC Charlotte.

Of course, this approach raises an obvious question of whether following the instructions of a dead artist is indeed art. If so, why not repaint the Sistine Chapel?

The LeWitt work at the Bechtler Museum spans about 697 square feet and was completed in 11 days. It’s simple geometric form, slightly resembling a goalpost in the end zone of a football field, reminded me of arms outstretched as if to welcome me into this grand space. John Boyer, President and CEO of the Bechtler Museum, explains, it is “not off-putting because of its complexity. [It’s] simplicity of geometry [has become a] compatriot for the simplicity of Mario Botta's building.” He goes on to describe the wall drawing as “exuberant, welcoming, elegant, [and] prismatic.”

When I asked Mr. Boyer how he selected this work to adorn the entry to his museum, he told me the decision-making parties wanted “something that resonates with the collection before you walk in the door.” Unanimously selected from five different options sent by the Sol LeWitt Foundation to the Bechtler Museum, this particular work abstractly tells the story of the family because the Bechtlers already had a relationship with Sol LeWitt, plus it “provides a powerful visual statement in almost combative architectural space,” says Boyer.

As I stood in the lobby entrance of Mario Botta’s magnificent building with a computer-generated image of the wall drawing in my hand, I imagined what the space will look like sans scaffolding and cardboard floor covers. The Museum will be a gem in the heart of the Queen City. Unique in the contents of its collection and wonderfully pleasing in its architectural design, The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art appears to be well on its way toward being a haven for artists and art lovers alike to learn about and appreciate the best of modern art and architecture.