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Milano

Maker Beverly Pepper (b. 1924, Brooklyn, New York)

Date1970

GeographyUnited States, North and Central America

MediumCor-Ten steel

Dimensionsoverall (approx.): 25 in. x 89 in. (63.5 cm x 226.1 cm)

Credit LineGift of Jay R. and Suzette Dauch Schochet (Class of 1958)

Object number2014.190

Status

On view

Collections

2025 Outdoor Sculpture

RightsCopyright is retained in accordance with U.S. Copyright laws

Photo creditDavis Museum at Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

More Information

Object Label

The sharp edges of Milano evoke both the Gothic cathedral pinnacles and the Brutalist skyscrapers of the northern Italian city. Known for monumental sculptures in steel, Pepper once explained: “my aim is to invest space with a solidity by filling it with the world around it.” Although she moved to Italy in the 1950s, Pepper would usually spend part of the year in the United States. In 1964, at the invitation of U.S. Steel, she became the first American artist to use Cor-Ten, then a new steel alloy, which has since become an artistic and architectural staple. In Milano, Pepper counted on the Cor-Ten to manifest the passage of time, as rust would inevitably transform its color and shape. Although she showed with artists associated with Abstract Expressionism, and engaged with the vocabulary of Minimalism, Pepper always remained a singular figure, unaffiliated with any art movements.