44 - Larry Bell (American, 1939)

Larry Bell (American, 1939) Vapor Drawing MS 28 – 1978 Nickel-chrome alloy on rag paper 178 x 108 cm Signed and dated lower center Signed, numbered, and dated on verso Provenance: Serge De Bloe, Belgium The Robert and Suzanne Pannier Collection, Bruges Begun in 1978, Larry Bell’s Vapor Drawings are works on paper made using the vacuum-coating process developed for his glass works. Nickel-chrome alloy is vaporized in a vacuum chamber and deposited onto rag paper, with Mylar strips used to shape the composition. The paper’s textured surface responds differently to the thin films than glass, producing variations in color and surface. The process also allowed Bell to work more quickly and experimentally, and became a means of further exploring vacuum coating across different materials.