
Clock Knot
2007
This monumental sculpture consists of stacked and interlocking red painted steel I-beams arranged in a dynamic, spiraling composition that appears to twist upward from its base. Created by renowned sculptor Mark di Suvero, Clock Knot exemplifies the artist's signature approach to large-scale abstraction through industrial materials, transforming utilitarian structural elements into a graceful, kinetic form. The work's bold crimson color and geometric complexity create a striking visual anchor within the urban campus landscape, while its title evokes temporal and relational metaphors embedded in the sculpture's intricate knot-like configuration. Located prominently on University of Texas at Austin's campus, the piece demonstrates how public sculpture can engage with architectural surroundings and invite multiple interpretations of form and meaning. Photo by Muyenda Burnett on Unsplash | Photo by MARTLEY U on Unsplash
- Medium
- Painted steel I-beams
More by Mark di Suvero
Collectors with works by Mark di Suvero
Artists in conversation

Richard Serra
American · b. 1938

Serra shares di Suvero's commitment to monumental industrial steel sculpture that engages space and gravity as primary forces, using raw rolled and weathered steel to create physically commanding abstract forms on an architectural scale.

Alexander Calder
American · b. 1898

Calder pioneered large scale abstract metal sculpture that incorporates dynamic balance and movement, directly influencing di Suvero's use of suspended and pivoting steel elements that interact with wind and physical space.

Anthony Caro
British · b. 1924

Caro similarly assembled welded industrial steel beams and found metal components into bold abstract compositions that reject the pedestal and engage the viewer at ground level, sharing di Suvero's gestural and structural language in fabricated steel abstraction.
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