Black Sphere

Black Sphere

Black Sphere is one of five black concrete sculptures created by Jene Highstein between 1975 and 1977, with a distinctly spherical shape that sets it apart from the other four mound-shaped works. Where the latter are firmly grounded, rising gradually from the plane upon which they rest, Black Sphere sits precariously, perched like a ball about to set in motion. Black Sphere has traveled extensively from its initial installation at the Holly Solomon Gallery in New York in 1976, to its current possession by the University of Chicago.

This 3,000-pound steel and concrete sculpture, whose industrial materials convey a density of mass that is only further accentuated by the opaque black surface of the sphere, stretches just over six feet in diameter. Despite the sense of solidity the sculpture imparts, its concrete surface is a mere skin. Constructed by the gradual application of concrete by hand to a mesh-covered, hollow steel armature, Highstein’s Black Sphere was achieved by a process of human approximation that is markedly different from the exacting industrial procedures of most Minimalist sculptors. It defies the formal expectations of regularity that its geometrically-derived shape invites. Although it suggests all the industrial might of large-scale construction, Black Sphere is far frailer than it appears, and its many moves have necessitated numerous restorative efforts that have materially transformed the sculpture.

Jene Highstein (1942-2013)

subject line and description taken from a longer dialogue on the piece written by a student in the Spring 2015 Public Sculpture class.
https://voices.uchicago.edu/exhibitiontemplate/2020/02/05/black-sphere/

Constructed 1976
Installed 1980

Donated to the University by Betsy and Andy Rosenfield in honor of Lindy and Edwin Bergman (former Chairman of the Board of Trustees)

Painted cement over steel structure
Height: 72 in. (182.9 cm)
Diameter: 76 in. (193 cm)

Current location: temporary storage

Sculpture