''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 sculptures by
Carl Andre. The sculpture consists of 120
fire bricks, 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 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
Tate Gallery at
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 press
Archive 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 Economist, May 11th 2000
References
External links
''The Bricks''
at the Tate Modern
Minimalism
1966 sculptures
Brick sculptures
Collection of the Tate galleries
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