Right Angle Prop

This work by Richard Serra (1938–2024) is made by a heavy lead sheet against a wall, secured by another bent sheet pressed into the corner where wall meets floor. It exemplifies Serra’s “verb list,” a set of action-based concepts—such as “to prop”—that guided his sculptural practice from the late 1960s.

The sculpture stays in place through its own weight and gravity, conveying mass and force directly without illusion. Resting on the floor, charged with tension and balance, the work invites the visitor to a direct interaction. Serra’s focus extends beyond material qualities to how viewers perceive and physically engage with the work. His approach shifts sculpture from a fixed object to an active, situational experience.