Askew

Made from stainless steel, *Askew* is part of a series of works by American artist Roxy Paine that he describes as “dendroids” — arboreal or treelike forms with elaborate branching structures. Paine’s sculptures are hybrids in more than one sense of the word. They’re inspired by “real” trees but never truthful depictions of actual species. Paine’s manmade versions of natural elements blur the boundaries between nature and culture, the natural and the artificial, machine made and handmade. Paine has described his work as, quote, “a collision of the industrial world with the natural world.” Paine often chooses the same industrial materials used in building pipelines and plants for his art. The artist has said he takes, quote, “this organic, majestic being” and breaks it down “into components and rules. The branches are translated into pipe and rod.” The Museum’s now-retired Director of Planning Daniel Gottlieb remarked that the installation of Paine’s *Askew* was challenging. It arrived in several pieces, and once the crew had assembled *Askew*, they were ready to install it. When they lifted the sculpture by crane, dangling it a few feet above a special base, they realized that the base wasn’t adequate. It would need to be adjusted while the sculpture hung in mid-air for the next 24 hours. Eventually, once the sculpture was in place, Paine and his team welded the remaining branches, and *Askew* was set and ready for visitors to enjoy.