At A Glance
A tapering steel rod with two 30-foot arms that rotate slowly in the breeze
One of artist George Rickey’s tallest works — over 56 feet high
The artist began his career as a painter and turned to kinetic sculpture after his service in the Army Air Corps in World War II
On the former site of the Morris mansion, overlooking the grounds of the Morris Arboretum, stands a tapering steel rod more than 30 feet high, bearing two 30-foot arms that rotate slowly in the breeze.
The art critic Douglas McGill referred to a characteristic group of Rickey sculptures as “hybrids of living things and machines.”
The steel reflects sunlight, and the configurations change with the wind. According to the Arboretum’s consulting curator, Edward Fort Fry, Two Lines “creates a metaphorical bridge between landscape and man’s artifacts.”
George Rickey began his career as a painter but discovered a mechanical bent during service in the Army Air Corps in World War II. After the war he turned to kinetic sculpture, evolving a style that featured blade-like shapes of stainless steel whose movement was governed by the wind. The art critic Douglas McGill referred to a characteristic group of Rickey sculptures as “hybrids of living things and machines.”
Two Lines is one of the tallest of Rickey’s works—over 56 feet high when the arms extend upward. Acquired on loan, the work was installed at its present site in October 1988.
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