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Endless Tower, Presentation on Plexiglass

A work made of ink on tracing paper in plexiglass case.

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  • A work made of ink on tracing paper in plexiglass case.

Date:

1994–1995

Artist:

Helmut Jahn (American, born Germany, 1940-2021)

About this artwork

Helmut Jahn’s Endless Tower project was inspired by Constantin Brancusi’s Endless Column, a slender sculpture of repeating prism shapes developed in 1918. Jahn’s translation of sculpture to skyscraper resulted in a remarkable double-layered structure with a faceted tower embedded within a simple, clear glass column. The resulting voids at the building’s corners were intended to function as “skygardens,” large atria providing meeting areas as well as passive climate control for the office space. In 2007 Murphy/Jahn adapted this ambitious design for a single-skin tower planned for Bucharest, Romania, with triangular facets that recall Brancusi’s Romanian Endless Column monument, erected in 1938.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Helmut Jahn

Title

Endless Tower, Presentation on Plexiglass

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1994–1995

Medium

Ink on tracing paper in plexiglass case

Dimensions

Overall: 122 × 62 cm (48 1/16 × 24 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Judith Neisser

Reference Number

1996.313.1-2

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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