Caro had started working with stainless steel as early as 1966 but it was not until the 1970s that he began to explore the medium to a much greater extent. Unlike conventional steel, which cannot be cut easily, stainless steel is much more forgiving and allowed Caro greater freedom of expression.

By 1977, the year preceding Stainless Steel Piece 0-0, Caro was well established as the leading English sculptor of his generation. That summer, his sculpture could be seen at four leading venues in London including the Hayward and Tate but, most notably, at the National Gallery through his curated show ‘The Artist’s Eye’.

Caro said: “My job is making sculpture; and by that I mean using visual means to say what I, a man living now, in 1978, feel like. And that can incorporate, as well as my emotional life... any other experiences that have gone to enrich or delete from the sum total of being a human person. Add to that the practical logic of my trade, my tools, the steel I work with...”