East Wall Library
Artist
Stella Waitzkin
(American, 1920-2003)
Date1987
MediumPolyester resin, found and cast objects, and wood
DimensionsOverall: 17 1/2 x 43 x 11 1/2in. (44.5 x 109.2 x 29.2cm)
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
Credit LineGift of Waitzkin Memorial Trust
Object number2007.11.1-23
On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright© Waitzkin Memorial Trust
Label TextStella Waitzkin’s living spaces became installations of her art works, in particular the extended libraries she formed of actual books and books cast in resin. She called her studio in the Chelsea Hotel “Details of a Lost Library.”
Libraries can be considered repositories of accumulated knowledge and imagination, but Waitzkin’s books cannot be opened and their contents remain mysterious. The artist is quoted as saying to poet Allen Ginsberg, “Words are lies.” Why create a library, then? Perhaps it gave her some control over treacherous words.
And what of the birds that pose atop the bookshelf? Birds are a symbol of freedom because of their potential to fly, although here they seem to be charming spirits at rest. This work invites reflection on different modes of encasement and liberation.
Mary E. Murray
Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
