{"id":2498,"date":"2026-05-12T20:26:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T03:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/?p=2498"},"modified":"2026-07-28T17:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:00:46","slug":"art-home-is-incomplete-open-cubes-5-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/art-home-is-incomplete-open-cubes-5-9\/","title":{"rendered":"art: home is Incomplete Open Cubes 5\/9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sol LeWitt programmatically\/accidentally made the most simple, refined, and beautiful home evar, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you spot it in this housing development?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sol LeWitt, 1974 122 Variations of Incomplete Open Cubes<\/em>.
122 structures, painted wood, each 8 by 8 by 8
inches; base, 182 plywood squares, each 2 by 12 by 12
inches; 131 pen and ink drawings and photographs.
(Installation, SFMOMA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I saw this exhibition at SFMOMA<\/a> around 2024, a sublime quiet experience. The artwork is the name: starting with three connected sides of a cube that extend in three directions\/dimensions, what are all the possible forms of a cube? But as usual with LeWitt, the realization of the conceptual art is itself aesthetically pleasing: the drawings, the actual existence of the conceptual forms as sculptures laid out in real space, how the number of variations increases with more edges then decreases; it’s all so good. The way they get more varied with more “limbs” and then simplify as they approach 11 edges (it doesn’t include the final “full” cube) is lovely. It is much bigger than this appears (it was in a huge room), but it isn’t overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My favorite is this element, Incomplete Open Cubes 5\/9<\/em>. It outlines a front door and front garden \ud83c\udfe1, what else do you need?\ud83d\ude0d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I was quickly drawn to it over every other shape in the set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
View of installation of my favorite “5\/9” among other sculptures and images from Incomplete Open Cubes 1974, redisplayed at SFMOMA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a link to an SVG reconstruction of it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make me a concept, mmmkay?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’d love to own a realization of this particular instance, Incomplete Open Cubes 5\/9<\/em>, or commission a replica; 30-33 cm (12-13 inches) a side would fit nicely at the top of our staircase. It’s just painted wood or baked enamel on aluminum, how expensive can it be? Uh-oh, the auctioneer Christie’s sold<\/a> Incomplete Open Cube 7\/14<\/em> in 2011 for… $206,500<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Two more edges and much bigger for much major money<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

True, this is a larger floor-standing sculpture, 42 inches (106.6 cm) on a side. The dozens at SFMOMA were more petite, apparently only 8\u00d78\u00d78 inches. And this has two extra edges, so the smaller one should be 28% off!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there an official fabricator of these? What are the ethics of ripping off the exquisitely thoughtful concept of a dead artist (Sol LeWitt, 1928-2007, RIP). I contacted the Artists Rights Society<\/a> which licenses reproductions of his work, we’ll see what happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incomplete list of Incomplete Open Cubes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Art Gallery of NSW<\/a> has 5\/8<\/a>, same number of edges (five), but it’s all spiky and overturned stool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’m not the only one struck by the excellence of the idea, execution, and result. Critics and mathematicians love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n