Fred Eversley (b. 1941, Brooklyn, NY) is a pioneer of the Light and Space art movement, which originated in Southern California in the 1960s. Interested in science as a teen, he experimented by casting jello in a pie pan on a spinning turntable, thus creating his first parabolic surface. His fascination with the parabola—the only shape that focuses all forms of energy to a single point—continued in his career as an engineer designing acoustical testing laboratories for the aerospace industry. Eversley, who shifted to making art in 1967, developed an innovative process of spin-casting liquid resin. In 1970 he cast his first full parabolic lens in polyester, launching a body of work which would become his principal focus for over fifty years.
Parabolic Light is Eversley’s first cast resin work made for outdoor display and the largest to date in the Cylindrical Lens series. His choice of magenta contrasts with the surrounding landscape. The form’s tapering thickness naturally results in a subtle color gradation. Its physical scale and transparent clarity allow us to experience a range of optical phenomena. The sun’s refracting and reflecting waves of light are bent and refocused, shifting with every angle. We perceive ourselves and our environment differently. For the artist, heightened awareness of both our inner and outer worlds holds transformative potential. Through an abstract art of clarified energy, Eversley’s Parabolic Light invites us into the realm of spiritual imagination.
Nicholas Baume
Artistic & Executive Director, Public Art Fund
Fred Eversley: Parabolic Light is curated by Public Art Fund Artistic & Executive Director Nicholas Baume with support from Public Art Fund Assistant Curator Jenée-Daria Strand, and developed by former Public Art Fund Senior Curator Allison Glenn.
About the Artist
Fred Eversley (b. 1941, Brooklyn, New York) is a key figure in the development of contemporary art from Los Angeles during the postwar period. He synthesizes elements from several art historical movements associated with Southern California, including Light and Space, though his work is the product of a pioneering vision all his own, informed by lifelong studies on the timeless principles of light, space, time, and gravity. Prior to becoming an artist, Eversley moved to California to become an engineer, collaborating with NASA and major aerospace companies to develop high-energy acoustic and vibration testing laboratories. Eversley’s work on NASA’s second and third human spaceflight programs, Gemini and Apollo, developed his interest in the parabola, which began when he was a teen. His pioneering use of plastic, polyester resin, and industrial dyes and pigments reflects the technological advances that define the postwar period even as his work reveals the timeless inner workings of the human eye and mind.
Eversley will unveil his largest Public Commission to date, a sculptural installation, titled ‘Portals’, for permanent display in Able’s Park, at One Flagler, West Palm Beach in early summer of 2024, commissioned by Related Companies in partnership with the City of West Palm Beach. He has also been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa, California (2022–2023); Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts (2017); Art + Practice, Los Angeles (2016); National Academy of Science, Washington, D.C. (1981); Palm Springs Art Museum, California (1977); Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, California (1976); and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1970). Eversley will be part of two major group shows as part of the Pacific Standard Time Art and Science Collide program 2024. Recent group exhibitions include Light and Space, Copenhagen Contemporary, Copenhagen (2021–2022); Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963–1983 (2017–2020, traveled to five venues); Space Shifters, Hayward Gallery, London (2018); Dynamo – A Century of Light and Motion in Art, Grand Palais, Paris (2013); Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980 (Getty Foundation, 2011; traveled to Gropius Bau, Berlin, 2012). His work is in the permanent collections of more than three dozen museums throughout the world, including Tate Modern, London; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas; Museum of Modern Art, New York; K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong; and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The first monograph dedicated to Eversley’s work was published by David Kordansky Gallery in 2022. Eversley lives and works in New York City.
Installation Photos
Location
Fred Eversley (n. 1941, Brooklyn, Nueva York) es uno de los pioneros del movimiento artístico Luz y Espacio, que se originó en el sur de California en la década de 1960. Como adolescente interesado en la ciencia, Eversley creó su primera superficie parabólica al echar gelatina en un molde para pastel sobre un plato giratorio durante un experimento. Su fascinación por la parábola (la única forma que concentra todas las formas de energía en un sólo punto) continuó durante su carrera como ingeniero, diseñando laboratorios de pruebas acústicas para la industria aeroespacial. Eversley comenzó a hacer arte en 1967, y desarrolló un proceso innovador de fundición por rotación de resina líquida. En 1970 fundió su primera lente totalmente parabólica en poliéster, iniciando así una obra que se convertiría en su principal objetivo durante más de cincuenta años.
Parabolic Light (Luz parabólica) es su primera obra de resina fundida producida para una exhibición al aire libre, y la más grande hasta la fecha en la serie Cylindrical Lens. Su elección del magenta contrasta con el paisaje que la rodea. El grosor cada vez más estrecho de la forma resulta en una sutil gradación de color. Su escala física y claridad transparente nos permiten experimentar una variedad de fenómenos ópticos. Las ondas de luz del sol que se refractan y reflejan se doblan y reenfocan, moviéndose en cada ángulo. Percibimos nuestro entorno y a nosotros mismos de manera diferente. Para el artista, una mayor conciencia de nuestro mundo interior y exterior tiene un potencial transformador. A través de un arte abstracto de energía clarificada, Parabolic Light (Luz parabólica) de Eversley nos invita al reino de la imaginación espiritual.
Nicholas Baume
Director ejecutivo y artístico, Public Art Fund
Felipe Baeza: Unruly Forms es curada por el director artístico y ejecutivo de Public Art Fund, Nicholas Baume, con el apoyo de Jenée-Daria Strand, asistente curatorial, y desarrollo inicial por la ex curadora de Public Art Fund, Allison Glenn.
Acerca del artista
Fred Eversley (n. 1941, Brooklyn, Nueva York) es una figura clave en el desarrollo del arte contemporáneo de Los Ángeles durante la posguerra. En su obra sintetiza elementos de varios movimientos históricos del arte asociados con el sur de California, como Light and Space, aunque su trabajo es producto de una visión pionera propia, informada por sus estudios a lo largo de su vida sobre los principios atemporales de la luz, el espacio, el tiempo y la gravedad. Antes de incursionar en las artes, Eversley se mudó a California para convertirse en ingeniero, colaborando con la NASA y las principales empresas aeroespaciales para desarrollar laboratorios de pruebas de vibración y acústica de alta energía. Su trabajo en el segundo y tercer programa de vuelos espaciales tripulados de la NASA, Gemini y Apollo, detonó su interés por la parábola, que comenzó cuando era un adolescente. Su uso pionero de plástico, resina de poliéster y tintes y pigmentos industriales refleja los avances tecnológicos que definen el período de posguerra, incluso cuando su obra revela el funcionamiento interno atemporal del ojo y la mente humanos.
A principios del verano de 2024, Eversley presentará su Comisión Pública más grande hasta la fecha, una instalación escultórica titulada ‘Portals’, para su exhibición permanente en Able’s Park, en One Flagler, West Palm Beach, comisionada por Related Companies en asociación con la City of West Palm Beach. Eversley ha sido objeto de exposiciones individuales en el Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa, California (2022-2023); Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts (2017); Art + Practice, Los Ángeles (2016); National Academy of Science, Washington, D.C. (1981); Palm Springs Art Museum, California (1977); Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, California (1976); y el Whitney Museum of American Art, Nueva York (1970). Eversley formará parte de dos importantes exposiciones colectivas como parte del programa Pacific Standard Time Art and Science Collide 2024. Entre sus exposiciones colectivas recientes están Light and Space, Copenhagen Contemporary, Copenhague (2021-2022); Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963–1983 (2017–2020, viajó a cinco espacios); Space Shifters, Hayward Gallery, Londres (2018); Dynamo – A Century of Light and Motion in Art, Grand Palais, París (2013); Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–19801980 (Fundación Getty, 2011; viajó a Gropius Bau, Berlín, 2012). Su obra se encuentra en las colecciones permanentes de más de 30 museos en todo el mundo, incluida la Tate Modern de Londres; Guggenheim Museum, Nueva York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Whitney Museum of American Art, Nueva York; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas; Museum of Modern Art, Nueva York; K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong; y el Los Angeles County Museum of Art. La primera monografía dedicada al trabajo de Eversley fue publicada por la Galería David Kordansky en 2022. Eversley vive y trabaja en la ciudad de Nueva York.
Imágenes de la Instalación
Ubicación
Bloomberg Philanthropies is the presenting sponsor of Fred Eversley: Parabolic Light.
Leadership support for Parabolic Light is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Angelo K H Chan & Frederick Wertheim; David Kordansky Gallery; Jennifer Sykes Harris; Holly & Jonathan Lipton; Jennifer & Jason New; Elizabeth Fearon Pepperman & Richard C. Pepperman II; and Rasika & Girish Reddy with major support from Charles B. Short & Chet Krayewski. Additional support is provided by Mary Ellen Oldenburg.
Special thanks to engineering partner Silman, as well as the Office of the Mayor, Manhattan Borough President, NYC Parks’ Art in the Park program, and Central Park Conservancy.
Public Art Fund is supported by the generosity of individuals, corporations, and private foundations including lead support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, along with major support from Abrams Foundation, the Charina Endowment Fund, the Cowles Charitable Trust, the Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, The Fuhrman Family Foundation, The Marc Haas Foundation, Hartfield Foundation, William Talbott Hillman Foundation- Affirmation Arts Fund, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, Red Crane Foundation, The Silverweed Foundation, and Wagner Foundation.
Public Art Fund exhibitions and programs are also supported in part with public funds from government agencies, including the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
