Graft

2008-2009

Roxy Paine

Artist, American, born 1966

This horizontal photograph shows the twisting branches of a shiny silver tree, the sculpture rising high above the treetops of the living trees behind it. The trunk breaks into two sets of branches about a fifth of the way up the height of the sculpture. The branches to our left in this photograph curve and wind up and out while the branches to our right flare up in straighter lines. Diffused sunlight on the overcast day glints off the metal, creating bright white highlights against steel-gray shadows. The sculpture sits on a patch of grass with bushes and trees behind it.
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There is a leafless tree in the Sculpture Garden. Made of polished stainless steel by artist Roxy Paine, this tree literally outshines the natural beauty surrounding it. Yet, it is hardly natural in form or materials. Branches on one side soar skyward, while limbs on the opposite side are twisted. Graft, the title of this work, refers to the horticultural practice of joining the bud, stem, or root of one tree to another to repair or propagate it. The title might also be a pun referring to a form of political corruption.

Sculpture Garden, Southwest Quadrant
On View

Sculpture Garden, Southwest Quadrant


Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

Article:  Portraits of Trees, a Favorite Subject of Artists

Many artists have painted, photographed, and drawn nature’s magnificent sculptures.


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Commissioned 2008 by NGA; installed October/November 2009 in the NGA Sculpture Garden.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2010

  • Donovan, Molly. "Roxy Paine, Graft." Bulletin / National Gallery of Art, no. 42 (Spring 2010): 16-18, repro.

2021

  • Sturman, Shelley, and Molly Donovan. "The Artist as Primary Source of the Conservation of Contemporary Sculpture." Facture: conservation, science, art history 5 (2021): 174-202, 175 unnumbered fig. (detail), fig. 8.

Wikidata ID

Q63864429


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