As a performance artist in the early 1970s, Scott Burton combined “found” body movements with props such as chairs, which he situated on the stage in place of actors. As he turned to sculpture, Burton continued to explore the everyday world, designing objects that are at once utilitarian and highly aesthetic. Consciously drawing on the earlier twentieth-century traditions of De Stijl and Bauhaus design, his “furniture” sculptures are severely minimal, functional forms. They are made, however, with traditional sculptural materials and processes. The sandstone table in the Garden is supported by four cubic blocks that double as both legs and seats. Burton’s art was meant to provide a direct means of social engagement. Indeed, visitors may explore this curious table by contemplating its form and possible uses or by using its “legs” as chairs on which to rest and view the surrounding sights.
© 1998 Walker Art Center