Tenth Cloth Octagonal

For over 40 years, Richard Tuttle’s work has defied easy categorization. Utilizing a wide range of humble materials—including plywood, wire, rope, and cardboard—his objects convey a sense of impermanence. Tenth Cloth Octagonal, an early work by the artist, is the last in a series of irregularly shaped canvas octagons, which are, according to the artist, “about skin.” Importantly, Tuttle considered each consecutive version to be more eccentric and an improvement over the last. In addition to his unorthodox use of material, he provided no specifications for the orientation or installation of his cloth pieces; they may be affixed to either the wall or floor, making these works hybrid forms that the artist described as “drawings for three-dimensional structures in space.”