Commandment II

Alain Kirili

1980

Forged iron installation of glyphs resting on squat pedestals.
Commandment II is from a series of forged-iron sculptures Kirili began in the late 1970s. They are among his best-known works and reflect his strong interest in religious concepts and ancient texts. The grouped forms in this work suggest abstracted alphabets and incorporate both straight-edged geometric and curved shapes. No more than ninety centimeters high, they are nonetheless suggestive of monuments. Commenting on this series, Kirili noted, “There is an old mystery, for which I can provide no explanation, about why there is pattern of circumvolution in art and religion; it’s something that seems to occur naturally in humanity. . . . There is circumvolution with the Torah in the synagogue: inside the synagogue they turn with the Torah so that everyone kisses [it]. Circumvolution, verticality are fundamental drives in each human—and in my art, too.”

Credits

The Jewish Museum, New York, museum purchase with funds provided by Vera and Albert List, Hyman L. and Joan C. Sall, and Fine Arts Acquisition Fund, 1984-137a-q. Courtesy of the artist.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 10.

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Creator Bio

Alain Kirili

1946–2021

Born in Paris, Alain Kirili moved to New York in the 1970s. He is known for sculptures that draw upon both European and non-Western traditions and crafts, including ancient Jewish and African art, as well as for collaborations with musicians, poets, and dancers. Commandment II, made from forged iron originally from Torah decorations, was inspired by the work of Torah scribes. In 1986, Grand Commandement blanc, another piece from this series, was installed in the gardens of the Tuileries in Paris. A major retrospective of Kirili’s work was organized by the IVAM Museum of Valencia (Spain, 2009).

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