This publication focuses on the early work of Richard Serra, one of the most influential artists working today. The works included in this volume represent the beginning of the artist’s innovative, process-oriented experiments with nontraditional materials, such as vulcanized rubber, neon, and lead, in addition to key early examples of his work in steel and a selection of the artist’s films from this period.

The interplay of gravity and material that was introduced early in Serra’s career set the stage for his ongoing engagement with the spatial and temporal properties of sculpture. This monograph aims to reconsider the groundbreaking practices and ideas that so firmly situate Serra in the history of 20th-century art.