Caro’s floor sculptures demand to be walked around, and at times through – to be experienced from all four corners of the compass. He removed his work ‘down from the plinth’ so they could occupy the space of the viewer, as much as be occupied by the viewer in their encounters with them. Essential to Caro’s innovative move away from the plinth was his choice also not to work in bronze as this material held firm associations with ‘fine art’ and not abstractions. Caro’s choice to work in steel meant his sculptures were guided by the pre-existing, industrial shapes in which this material was formed – including I-beams, tubes, sheets and grilles. The elimination of the base also eliminated the ‘objecthood’ of Caro’s earlier work, whilst his use of bold colours was a means of neutralising the material or surface character of each individual element of a piece bringing them together in unexpected harmony. The floor pieces demonstrate how Caro’s configurations were pieced together through improvisation, with each individual element able to be adjusted, changed or eliminated altogether prior to completion.

In their lateral dispersion Caro’s floor pieces are particularly prone to improvisation, as this sculptural perspective offers more freedom and a greater field of play in construction than its vertical counterparts, where each element of the system is key to the support of those above. In his choice of the burnt orange Floor Piece Aleph (Flowerhead) radiates a Mediterranean heat that speaks to the emotive power of Caro’s vibrant, strong, but monotone colour application. Floor Piece Aleph (Flowerhead) presents Caro at his best, with the lightness and elegance of form juxtaposed against the heavy-duty nature of his chosen material. This piece also reflects Caro’s tendency to collect ‘bits’ resulting in his peers often referring to him fondly as ‘something of a magpie’ – which is something you see replicated in his larger works.

This piece was owned by Caro’s friend the art critic, Clement Greenberg. Greenberg was an influential American writer and critic. Championing abstract art, and in particular Jackson Pollock, he became a central figure in the American art world between the 1940s and the 1970s. Greenberg and his wife Jenny Van Horne collected works by artists including Caro, Dzubas, Noland, Smith and Olitski-individuals the couple cherished for their talent and friendship. When Greenberg died in 1994, Van Horne became the guardian of her husband’s legacy, handling the acquisition of his papers by the Getty Research Center and the presentation of a selection of the couple’s private collection to the Portland Art Museum.