16B
16B is a classic work by American artist Sol LeWitt, completely in keeping with the modular, serial sculptures he began to create in the later 1960s. Its form and structure reflect the principles of Conceptual art that LeWitt was developing around the same time. 16B takes the shape of a tall, irregular tower of open cubes made with thin pieces of balsa wood. It is wider at its base than at its top, tapering as it rises. 16B unfurls according to a set of rules or serial procedures that LeWitt determined beforehand and followed methodically, thereby taking chance, expression, and artistic subjectivity out of the equation. Although Conceptual art is generally associated with rationality, LeWitt believed the exact opposite was true." "In a logical sequence," he wrote, "you don’t think about it. It is a way of not thinking. It is irrational." 16B produces visual effects as irrational as its underlying tenets. Here the balsa wood legs cast shadows that multiply and disarrange the modules, with the latter acting as frames that fracture the surrounding space.
Artwork Details
- Title: 16B
- Artist: Sol LeWitt (American, Hartford, Connecticut 1928–2007 New York)
- Date: 1978
- Medium: Painted balsa wood
- Dimensions: 76 × 19 × 19 in. (193 × 48.3 × 48.3 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Gift of Mireille and James Levy, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.2.10
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Sol LeWitt
Multiples, Inc.
1970
Multiple artists/makers
1998
Multiple artists/makers
1999
Sol LeWitt
1964
Sol LeWitt
1977
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.