''Revolving Torsion'' is a 1972–73

kinetic sculpture Kinetic art is art from any medium that contains movement perceivable by the viewer or that depends on motion for its effects. Canvas paintings that extend the viewer's perspective of the artwork and incorporate multidimensional movement are ...

and fountain by the Russian-born Constructivist artist

Naum Gabo Naum Gabo (born Naum Neemia Pevsner; Russian language, Russian: Наум Борисович Певзнер; Hebrew language, Hebrew: נחום נחמיה פבזנר) (23 August 1977) was an influential sculptor, theorist, and key figure in Russia's ...

. It was commissioned for the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

and has been on long-term loan to the Guy's and St Thomas' Charity for display at

St Thomas' Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, together with Guy's Hospital, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospita ...

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

, London, since 1975. It was given

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

status in January 2016. The sculpture is the culmination of an idea that Gabo developed in the mid-1920s to implement the ideas published in his 1920 ''

Realistic Manifesto The Realistic Manifesto is a key text of Constructivism. Written by Naum "Gabo" Neemia Pevzner and cosigned by his brother, Antoine Pevsner, the ''Manifesto'' laid out their theories of artistic expression in the form of five "fundamental principle ...

''. He made a series of models and maquettes over the years, including his work of ''Model for "Torsion"'', a small -high

Perspex Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bran ...

model; his larger work ''Torsion'' from 1929–37, a -high model also in Perspex; and his 1960–64 ''Torsion (Project for a Fountain)'', an -high bronze maquette. A commission was suggested by Sir Norman Reid, director of the Tate Gallery, when he saw the models on a visit to Gabo's studio in the United States in 1968. Gabo sent his maquette to London and the full-size sculpture was constructed of several

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

plates, creating a stack of intersecting curves, deliberately unadorned and without colour. The sculpture was manufactured in 1972–73 by Stainless Metalcraft Limited of London, paid for by

Alistair McAlpine Robert Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green (14 May 1942 – 17 January 2014) was a British businessman, politician and author who was an advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. McAlpine was descended from the McAlpine baronet ...

, and then donated to the Tate Gallery. Gabo donated his bronze maquette to the Tate Gallery in 1969 and two plastic models in 1977. The work was installed in 1975 in the centre of a circular pool of water in a square garden at St Thomas' Hospital, with the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

to the west and

Westminster Bridge Road Westminster Bridge Road is a road in London, England. It is on an east–west axis, and passes through the northern extremities of the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. Between 1740 and 1746, the Commissioners of Westminster Bridge bought lan ...

to the north, and new hospital buildings to the east and south. It is a working fountain, with water emitted in streams from some of the sculpture's curved edges. It was originally designed to rotate slowly, once every 10 minutes, but the mechanism has not worked for several years.

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External links

{{coord, 51.5004, N, 0.1195, W, type:landmark_region:GB_source:wikidata, display=title 1975 in art Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Lambeth Outdoor sculptures in London Kinetic sculptures Fountains in the United Kingdom

References

Further reading

External links