Artwork copyright Robert Maki. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1976.

Artwork copyright Robert Maki. Original 1977 installation. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission (black and white photo).

Artwork copyright Robert Maki. Original 1977 installation. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission (black and white photo).

Artwork copyright Robert Maki. Original 1977 installation. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Jim Ball (black and white photo).

Artwork copyright Robert Maki. Original 1977 installation. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission (black and white photo).

Artwork copyright Robert Maki. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1976.

Trapezoid Square, 1976

Robert Maki
(American, born 1938)

Location: The Evergreen State College, Olympia

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Trapezoid Square is part of artist Robert Maki's body of works that explore geometric forms. This piece investigates the interplay of positive and negative space through the viewer's shifting perspective.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with The Evergreen State College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest artist Robert Maki creates minimalist abstract sculptures, that provide precise angles and sight lines that are important to the viewer's experience and the overall design. The direction of the sun, time of day, and weather conditions are often also important factors in Maki's sculptures, because they affect how the viewer sees the artworks.

Born in Walla Walla, Southeastern Washington, Maki received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Washington University in Bellingham and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1966. He was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award in 2012. His artworks are part of many collections, including Seattle Art Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. He has long been based in Kingston, on the Kitsap Peninsula, southern Puget Sound, Western Washington.