Large outdoor sculpture
“Of all my work, the most successful sculptures deal with the duality of idea and material, rather than the fusion of idea and material.”
Memory II
Corten steel, assembled from sculpture parts, 1979. 158”h x 178”w x 70” d. Original installation at Leland Iron Works, 1979.
Lee created a monumental sculpture every ten years starting in 1969 to comprise the Memory Series. While each piece functioned as a kind of testament to the preceding decade, Lee also considered them proof, if needed, that he was still an artist and still making art.
Click here to view Memory 99, the most famous work in the series.
Memory 09
Corten steel, 2009. Three elements. 124”h x 154”w x 25”d. Lee would make one more work for the Memory series in 2019, the contemplative “Gingko Leaf” sculptures (below).
Joe Tusker, in two parts
Stainless steel, 1986. 102”h x 66”w x 54”d. Elephants, one of Lee’s favorite forms, return here in a tribute to mountain climber Joe Tasker. Below, small sketch of Joe Tusker I, pencil on vellum, 1986. 8.5” x 11”.
Yucatan Unicycle
Corten steel, 2020. 126”h. This powerful sculpture was featured in the last exhibition at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery before Lee’s death in 2022.
Yucatan Goddess I
Stainless steel, 2018. 106”h x 36” x 36”.
Antigua II
Stainless steel, 2018. 114”h x 48” x 36”.