The Eye

Inspired by the Met premiere of Adams’s opera Doctor Atomic
David Altmejd
October 13, 2009 – January 30, 2009

An architectural sculpture of shattered mirrors, David Altmejd’s “The Eye” was presented on the occasion of the Met premiere of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic. This powerful opera, by one of America’s most acclaimed contemporary composers, explores a momentous episode in modern history: the creation of the atomic bomb. Altmejd, who often uses reflective surfaces in his sculpture installations, says about “The Eye,” “Mirror has a lot of symbolic potential. If you walk around a complicated mirror structure, you can see your reflection but in a fragmented way.”

The Eye, 2008
wood and mirror
129 1/2 x 216 1/2 x 144 1/2 inches
Courtesy the artist and Andrea Rosen Gallery, NY

The Eye (detail), 2008
wood and mirror
129 1/2 x 216 1/2 x 144 1/2 inches
Courtesy the artist and Andrea Rosen Gallery, NY