Charles O. Perry (American, b. 1929), "Double Knot", c. 1975, bronze, height 33 in., width 31 in., depth 35 in., on a pedestal. Note: "I have found the complex laws of nature are very much a part of us, they seem to please us in visual form and remind our unconscious of something it knew before we can remember." - Charles O. Perry A significant contemporary American sculptor, Perry approaches his art with a mathematical eye. His sculptures have a scientific complexity that is often obscured by the stunning elegance of his compositions. Initially trained in design (the master theorist/artist Josef Albers (German/American, 1888-1976) was his mentor at Yale), Perry was awarded the prestigious Prix de Rome in architecture in 1964. This was a decisive experience and encouraged him to concentrate on his sculpture. Speaking later of this decision, Perry stated: "When I set off to be an artist, I would avoid the arbitrary, esteem the orders of God in Nature, make things that were beautiful, try to make things that appeared to have no author, things you thought you had seen before; entwined with mathematics, geometry, topography, spinning, interlocking..." In the revered tradition of Max Bill (Swiss, 1908-1994), Naum Gabo (Belarusian/American, 1890-1977), and the contemporaneous Andreu Alfaro (Spanish, b. 1929), Perry employs mathematical concepts in his works. With "Double Knot" he incorporates an ideal mathematical form that naturally lends itself to sculpture; there is no front or back, no true top or bottom. Because of the inherent openness of the construct the viewer is able to gaze through the piece, hence the immediate environment becomes a part of the experience in its entirety. References: Perry. Charles O. Perry. Toland and Sons. CA. 1977; Friedman. Hyperseeing, Hypersculptures, Knots, and Minimal Surfaces. http://math.Albany.edu; Friedman. "Charles Perry". Hyperseeing; Journal of the International Society of the Arts, Mathematics, and Architecture. January 2007.