Artwork: Amaranth

Identifier: 2002.168.1a-c

Artist: Cyril Lixenberg

Medium: Painted Steel

Object date: 2002

Dimensions: 15' x 5' x 5' (approx.)

Physical description: Large, symmetrical steel structure that is painted yellow.

Historical narrative: Trained with an arsenal of classic techniques, artist Cyril Lixenberg opts to explore art with the materials offered by modern society: enamel panels, Cortén steel, and silk screen prints. In his work, Lixenberg's primary concern is exploring the dimensionality of shapes and how they interact. Color becomes an extra dimension, an uncomplicated emphasis on his eloquent use of shape. The work is the product of two vacillating tendencies: one of mental abstraction and the attempt to give it solid form and the other from the perception of the materials being used. The result is an object or image that does not represent anything concrete but is an aesthetic reflection of material, process, and creative mental engagement. Cyril Lixenberg currently lives and works in Amsterdam, where he is a prolific contributor to the contemporary art scene. For many years now, Lixenberg has worked with Grand Valley State University, completing sculptural commissions and taking part in lectures centered on contemporary art production.

Credit: GVSU Commission

Current location: GVSU > Allendale Campus > Mackinac Hall

Location notes: MAK; outside,in front of MAK

Media rights: Physical rights are retained by Grand Valley State University. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. Copyright laws.