INDIANAPOLIS, IND.- The Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields announces the addition of a monumental abstract sculpture to its contemporary collection, Fletcher Benton’s (1931-2019) Folded Circle Dynamic Rhythms Red Phase III (1973).

The monumental sculpture will be a permanent addition to the Pulliam Family Great Hall, framed by Robert Irwin’s Light and Space III (2008). Benton’s dynamic sculpture is constructed from two, red-painted aluminum half-circles placed perpendicularly to each other, with a polished stainless steel band around the edges. A vertical, kinetic element features colored acrylic panels that move back and forth, creating rhythmic, color changes.

An abstract homage to the ancient Greek sculptor Polykleitos, the shape and scale of the work calls attention to the importance of spatial orientation and our understanding of form, which was a common theme of sculpture made in the 1960s.

“Folded Circle Dynamic Rhythms Red Phase III is a major work that will make a striking addition to the atrium. This piece will strengthen the IMA’s rich holdings of late modernist sculpture and provide a thoughtful juxtaposition with other works in the contemporary collection,” said Dr. Michael Vetter, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at Newfields. “We are delighted to have this important irrevocable promised gift from Jon and Molly Ott and grateful to the Alliance of Newfields and Randy and Sheila Ott for their support of the work’s conservation.”

Benton is best known for his mechanized sculptures made in the 1960s and early 1970s, which are all central works in the history of kinetic art. Folded Circle is Benton’s second-largest kinetic piece, weighing 3,600 pounds and measuring about 14.5 feet tall. In comparison, Robert Indiana’s LOVE (1970) sculpture is 12 feet tall, but weighs 9,200 pounds.

The National Bank of Ohio originally commissioned the piece for their building in Columbus, and the piece entered the collection of PNC Bank when it acquired the National Bank of Ohio. Jon and Molly Ott, who live in the San Francisco Bay area, but have family ties to the IMA and the Midwest, purchased the sculpture from PNC and irrevocably promised it to the IMA at Newfields in 2019. Since its acquisition by the Otts, the work has been undergoing conservation treatment.

“I have been going to the Indianapolis Museum of Art since I was a boy being led through the museum by my parents," said Jon Ott. "My family and I couldn't be more pleased to be contributing to a community that we have grown up in, married in, thrived in, and still visit with regularity to this day.”

Jon grew up in Illinois and his wife Molly grew up in Indiana. In 2004, the couple married at the Indiana Historical Society. Jon also worked for ExactTarget (now Salesforce) for the past 10 years and continues to visit Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.

“We are so excited by the gift of Folded Circle by Jon and Molly,” said Dr. Charles L. Venable, The Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO. “The Ott family has been a joy to get to know since my arrival in Indianapolis in 2012 and having one of Fletcher Benton’s most important sculptures installed at the heart of the IMA so soon after his death is a real tribute to this important artist and the Otts.”

To prepare the floor for the sculpture, sanding began earlier this month and other preparation will continue intermittently through mid-March. The IMA Galleries will remain open during the installation period, but alternative routes may be required for guests to reach their desired destination. The sculpture will be on view to the public starting mid-March.