Shelf with Lifetime Cutlery,

1983

A practitioner of what is sometimes referred to as commodity sculpture, Haim Steinbach creates deceptively simple constructions that not only complicate the conventions of three-dimensional art, but also elide the distinction between art and merchandise. Steinbach's assemblage occupies an unresolved place in the gallery: it is both sculpture and painting. The shelf on which the cutlery rests is equally ambiguous: it belongs to the work of art, but is also an independent entity, a structure that supports the knives. In its supporting role, the shelf self-consciously mimics the pedestals on which more traditional sculptures lie, as well as the prosaic displays found in stores and supermarkets.