Dan Flavin (1933-1996)

As its title implies, Untitled (for Leo Castelli at his Gallerys 30th Anniversary) 3 is Dan Flavin's illuminated tribute to one of the world's most prominent art dealers. The idea for this work was initially conceived of in 1987, when the elderly gallerist commemorated his third decade of business with two important shows, one dedicated to the Pop artists he first brought to public attention, and the second to the Minimalist and Conceptual artists he later championed. This work was executed in 1989 and is the third model of Flavins tribute to Castelli. The earlier versions, (one of which is housed in the National Gallery of Canada, and another is on permanent loan to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York) follow the same format of a gridded square designed to be placed across the corner of the room, but they feature five vertical and five horizontal fixtures. Flavin, a master of finding variation within repetition, has used six fluorescent tubes in each orientation in this sculpture, arranging the off-the-shelf hues of red, pink, yellow, blue and green in a celebratory rainbow of radiant light. Though seemingly a minor difference, the result is significant, bathing the surrounding walls in a more complete spectrum of colour.