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Lumia, Counterpoint in Space, opus 146

Thomas WilfredWW-1956-147919

1956·Projected light on translucent poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) screen·24 5/8 × 20 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (62.5 × 52.4 × 36.2 cm)

Gift of the artist, 1960

Catalogue

Year: 1956
Medium: Projected light on translucent poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) screen
Dimensions: 24 5/8 × 20 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (62.5 × 52.4 × 36.2 cm)
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of 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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