Gateway 1964

Seymour Lipton made this bronze sculpture, called 'Gateway', and it looks like a process of layering, almost geological, forming before our eyes. The surface has this great crusty texture, the kind that makes you want to reach out and touch, even though you know you probably shouldn’t. You can almost feel the push and pull of the material, the way Lipton worked it, coaxing it into shape. This rounded form in the middle, cradled by these jagged edges, it’s like some kind of hidden world, or potential, waiting to be unlocked. I love how the light catches on all those rough surfaces, creating these little pockets of shadow and highlight, like a miniature landscape. There is something of the monumental about this piece. It reminds me of some of the early modern sculptors, like Brancusi, who were also interested in exploring simple forms, but Lipton brings this extra layer of grit and texture that makes it feel so alive. It is a conversation across time.