Can Pop Art Be 3D? David Gerstein’s Metal Wall Sculptures

Pop art can be three-dimensional. In David Gerstein's wall sculptures, the image is cut from aluminum, built in layers and moved away from the flat picture plane. Color, overlap and the shadow on the wall all become part of the work.

What makes the work three-dimensional?

The product specifications describe these works as mixed media cutout aluminum. Many use three layers. Those layers separate cyclists, butterflies, brush strokes, lips, instruments and city movement so the composition changes as you move past it. Even a shallower work such as My Palette uses the cutout edge to break away from a conventional rectangular canvas.

Eight examples of Gerstein's 3D pop language

Burning Lips

128x98x14 cm / 47×39x6 in
Mixed Media Cutout Aluminum
Edition of 150

Magic Cloud 2

188x120 cm / 74x47 in Size M - 100x60 cm / 39x24 in
Mixed Media Cutout Aluminum
Edition of 95

City Riders A

120x72 cm / 47x28 in
Mixed Media Cutout Aluminum
Edition of 150

My Palette

60x90 cm / 24x35 in
Mixed Media Cutout Aluminum
Edition of 75

Yellow Cab

180x97 cm / 71x38 in
Mixed Media Cutout Aluminum
Edition of 150

Art Attack

169x78 cm / 67x31 in
mixed media cutout aluminum
Edition of 150

Infinity Tour

160x95 cm / 63x37 in
Mixed Media Cutout Aluminum
Edition of 150

Jazz and the City - Saxophone

89x88 cm / 35x35 in
Mixed Media Cutout Aluminum
Edition of 150

Color, familiar subjects and movement

Burning Lips combines lips and butterflies in a three-layer work measuring 128 × 98 × 14 cm. Magic Cloud 2 builds a field of butterflies in two available sizes. City Riders A and Infinity Tour use repeated cyclists to turn a familiar urban subject into a moving pattern.

The same method changes tone with the subject. Jazz and the City - Saxophone works through rhythm and the figure of the musician; Yellow Cab stretches New York movement across a 180 × 97 cm format; Art Attack turns the heart and brush stroke into a large layered composition.

Wall sculpture or paper cut?

Gerstein's wall sculptures are the larger dimensional works discussed here. The paper-cut collection offers related subjects in another format. Open the individual artwork page before deciding; the live specifications are the reliable source for size, layers, edition and current availability.