Louise Nevelson (1899–1988) is one of the most respected pioneers of twentieth-century sculpture, known for her elegant transformations of cast- off “junk” objects and her theatrical choreography of shadow. Her place in American art history is without parallel. This recent acquisition, Sky Cathedral 2 (1957), is one of the earliest of the “walls” in her highly esteemed “Sky Cathedral” series: it predates a famous example in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and was made for her brother's Thorndike Hotel in Rockland, Maine. This pivotal signature work, a generous gift from the Lipman Family Foundation, will go on view at SJMA on January 19, 2011.

Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral #2, 1957 Painted wood; 57 x 149 x 16 inches; Gift of Beverly and Peter Lipman. Photo: Koppes Photography.