''Equivalent VIII'', 1966, 120 Firebricks, 5 x 27 x 90 ¼ inches, occasionally referred to as ''The Bricks'', is the last of a series of

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

sculptures by

Carl Andre Carl Andre (born September 16, 1935) is an American minimalist artist recognized for his ordered linear and grid format sculptures and for the suspected murder of contemporary and wife, Ana Mendieta. His sculptures range from large public art ...

. The sculpture consists of 120

fire brick A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory is a block of ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal con ...

s, arranged in two layers, in a six-by-ten rectangle. Each of Andre's eight sculptures in the Equivalent series consists of a rectangular arrangement of 120 firebricks. Although the shape of each sculpture is different, they all have the same height, mass and volume. Constructed in 1966, ''Equivalent VIII'' was bought by the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

in 1972 for $6,000 (then £2,297), half of the 1966 price. As none of the pieces had been sold during their New York gallery exhibition, Andre had returned the original bricks for a refund so new bricks were bought and shipped to the UK along with instructions on how to arrange them. When first exhibited at the

Millbank Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster. Millbank is known as the location of major government offices, Burberry headquarters, the Millb ...

in 1974 and 1975, it drew no great response. However, in February 1976, when it was not on display, the piece drew much criticism in the pressArchive Journeys - Tate History: The Bricks controversy and 'Save the Stubbs'
tate.org.uk (acc. 2016-10-09) because of the perception that taxpayers' money had been spent on paying an inflated price for a collection of bricks. The bricks were also defaced by Peter Stowell-Phillips, a chef who covered them with blue food dye. The purchase has also been criticised for only buying one of the series of eight arrangements, thus removing the context of their 'equivalence' and for failing to otherwise explain the concept of the piece. The work is now housed in the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...

Bankside Bankside is an area of London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. Bankside is located on the southern bank of the River Thames, east of Charing Cross, running from a little west of Blackfriars Bridge to just a short distance befor ...

.For art’s sake
The Economist, May 11th 2000

References

External links

''The Bricks''
at the

Minimalism 1966 sculptures Brick sculptures Collection of the Tate galleries {{UK-sculpture-stub