The American minimalist artist Carl Andre (born 1935) is perhaps best known for his sculptures made from square metal plates placed in grid-like formations, lying flat on the surface of the ground. Yet over the course of five decades Andre's output has been immense - encompassing large, outdoor artworks ; ephemeral installations ; scavenged objects ; precisely formed precious metals ; photography ; and a significant body of poetry. Alistair Rider explores how at the heart of Andre's vision lies a commitment to seeing things as elements as separable self-contained units. By isolating forms for contemplation, Andre allows the richness of their materiality to emanate. Andre first entered the public eye in the mid 1960s with a series of works so profoundly simple in their form and arrangement that they helped redefine sculpture for a whole new generation of artists. His most significant contribution was to distance the medium from processes of carving, modelling or constructing, and to make art simply by sorting and positioning. Rider here divides Andre's works into the key themes and series that have shaped the development of his career, exploring how each has Brown from a nexus of profound intellectual preoccupations. Andre's poetry is also given a fresh re-consideration within the context of his oeuvre, making this a uniquely comprehensive understanding of the artist and his achievement.
