Larry Bell

Larry Bell is an American artist renowned for his innovative work in sculpture and glass. Born in 1939 in Chicago, Bell moved to California, where he became a key figure in the Los Angeles-based Light and Space movement of the 1960s. His work explores the relationships between light, reflection and transparency, pushing the boundaries of perception and materiality.

Bell is best known for his glass cube sculptures, which he began creating in the early 1960s. These minimalist, geometric forms, often constructed from glass and coated with thin films of metal, manipulate light to create a dynamic interaction between the object, the viewer and the surrounding space. Bell’s use of industrial processes, like vacuum coating and laminating, allows him to achieve subtle gradations of colour and transparency. His sculptures seem to float and shift as the viewer moves around them.

Though Bell is often associated with the Light and Space movement, his work also intersects with Minimalism due to his focus on simple, abstract forms. His experiments with glass are complemented by his improvised abstract work in other materials, including Vapor Drawings, created by vaporising nickel chrome alloy using electric currents and pure oxygen into a fine coating on paper, and mixed-media pieces. Bell has also explored the properties of light and reflection in his paintings and prints, demonstrating his versatility across different mediums.

Throughout his career, Larry Bell has exhibited widely, including in major institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. His contribution to art, particularly in redefining the potential of glass and light as artistic materials, has made him a pivotal figure in post-war American art.

A trailblazer in the exploration of material, light and perception, Bell continues to create and innovate from his studios in Venice, California, and Taos, New Mexico.