OR 08, Mechanical Sculpture from the collection of Thierry Despont

Thierry Despont, best-known for his architectural practice—for his integral role in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, his re-imagining of the Ritz in Paris, and the interiors...

Thierry Despont was best-known for his very successful architectural practice—but he was also an accomplished artist. Some of his most interesting works are a series of sculptures f...

Thierry Despont was best-known for his very successful architectural practice—but he was also an accomplished artist. Some of his most interesting works are a series of sculptures fa...

Thierry Despont was best-known for his very successful architectural practice—but he was also an accomplished artist. Some of his most interesting works are a series of sculptures fa...

A beautifully crafted antique French hand-operated corking machine, once used in wineries for sealing bottles with corks. The corker has an arched lever, adjustable bottle-height sc...

Venus welded steel Measures: 12-1/2 x 17-1/2-37 in. This vertical steel sculpture presents a commanding, almost anthropomorphic figure, assembled from industrial components and softened by age-worn patina. A central oval form anchors the piece—suggesting a torso—while angular extensions imply limbs or mechanical appendages. The upward-reaching element at the top introduces a sense of gesture or alertness, reinforcing the piece’s totemic quality. Sturdy yet expressive, the work balances raw materiality with suggestive figuration. Its posture hints at motion held in pause, evoking associations with tools, guardians, or relics of an unknown past. Artist Statement I work with materials that have already lived a life — steel that’s rusted, bent, scarred. These imperfections hold a kind of quiet beauty, one that speaks not of utility but of presence. Though my work sometimes carries figurative echoes, I’m drawn to the non-figurative: the essential, the raw. Steel, once loud and forceful in its industrial context, becomes still and intimate in this new form. Each composition emerges through direct interaction with found parts. I rarely alter the materials beyond what is necessary. Instead, I allow them to dictate form — interlocking, balancing, and aligning until their relationship feels complete. The process is intuitive, the engineering elemental. Art, for me, is a spiritual act — a practice of selflessness and stillness. It doesn't seek acclaim or commercial appeal. It simply exists, honest and sacred. Biography Scott Gordon (b. 1966, Ridgewood, NJ) lives and works in Vermont. He studied business at the University of Denver and earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington. During his time in Seattle, he worked at David Gulassa...

The Ernst Plank steam engine is a fascinating and remarkable piece, especially the Union model with dimensions of 43x14x14 cm. Manufactured by the Ernst Plank brand, this steam engin...

Electrostatic machine by Wimshurst, a British engineer and shipowner, designed in the 1880s, created by Rinaldo Damiani, a builder active in Venice between the end of the nineteenth ...