George Warren Rickey (1907 to 2002)
George Rickey was born in South Bend, Indiana, and as a child moved to Scotland with his family. He returned to America in 1930, where he taught at The Groton School in Massachusetts and at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After studying engineering while serving in the Army, Rickey began to work in sculpture.
Like Alexander Calder, Rickey created kinetic sculpture; movable works of art. Rickey’s graceful structures conform to elements of the natural world, moving with gravity and wind, rather than through mechanical means. His works are usually composed of simple stainless steel forms including thin blades and other geometric shapes. These sculptures capture and redefine space, playing with movement and light. Rickey was also the one of the first sculptors to create works intended for the outdoors.
Information courtesy of Skinner Inc. September 2007.