Space Modulator L3
László Moholy-Nagy
American, born Hungary. 1895–1946
1936
A compact mixed-media work of oil on perforated zinc and board studded with glass-headed pins in which Moholy-Nagy translates the dynamics of light, motion, and cosmic ordering into an industrial, tactile “space.”
The first thing you notice is the fine, grille-like texture of the perforated surface and two floating discs—a large muted red and a smaller silver—accented by clusters of black, white, and gold pins that read like scattered starlight while three diagonal white strokes cut across the red like trajectories.
Made amid Moholy-Nagy’s Bauhaus experiments, this piece collapses painting, object, and optical device—using industrial materials and puncture-like marks to render light, depth, and motion visible and anticipate later kinetic and multimedia practices.
Medium
Oil on perforated zinc and board, with glass-headed pins
Dimensions
17 1/4 x 19 1/8" (43.8 x 48.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
223.1947
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
