Anthony Caro

Caro's metallic sculpture is sometimes compared to abstract painting or architecture. This attractively priced showcase, the latest in Rizzoli's small-format (8 11) series, justifies the comparison, particularly with Hop Scotch, reminiscent of Jackson Pollock's interlocking syncopations. An apprentice to Henry Moore in the '50s, Caro abandoned the Moore-influenced swollen human forms to develop a language of abstract gestures that cuts to bare essentials. Large steel conglomerations seem to float weightless in space. Configurations of bars, screens, wedges, panels and curves define new spatial arrangements with grace and economy. Caro has branched out with bronzes like Buddha Peach and small table-top pieces. In the 1980s his explorations are based on ocean waves, towers, belts and pines, suggesting that his art is taking a different direction. More than half of the 172 plates are in color. Fenton's weighty introductory essay traces Caro's stylistic evolution. (December 15)