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Aspiration, Op. 145

Thomas WilfredWW-1955-M068698

1955·Projected light on translucent glass screen (duration 42 hours, 14 minutes, 11 seconds)·screen 19 1/4 x 15" (48.9 x 38.1 cm)

Catalogue

Year: 1955
Medium: Projected light on translucent glass screen (duration 42 hours, 14 minutes, 11 seconds)
Dimensions: screen 19 1/4 x 15" (48.9 x 38.1 cm)
Collection: Museum of Modern Art
Artist: Thomas Wilfred

Artist

Thomas Wilfred

Painting

Thomas Wilfred was an American artist who invented the Clavilux, an early light-based instrument designed to produce abstract visual compositions in real time. Working from the 1920s onward, he created performative light installations that treated color and luminosity as a malleable medium akin to music. His work anticipated kinetic art and video installation by several decades, establishing light itself as a sculptural and temporal material. Wilfred conceived of his performances as an immersive visual language independent of narrative or representation.

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