Our Only Sculpture exhibition presents nine-large scale sculptures ranging from 1965 through 2022. Many of the works in the show are indicative of the approach of the sculptural giants of the 1960s and 1970s who formed, welded and bent industrial materials such as Corten-steel and aluminum on a monumental scale. Two prime examples are Joel Perlman’s welded steel works, Nightfall (1979) and Diamond Rough (1982). In addition, Newport (1968) by Kenneth Snelson shows his principle of tensegrity combining tension and integrity which he developed after working with renowned architect Buckminster Fuller at Black Mountain College in the late 1940s. Contemporary artist Anna Fasshauer engages directly with the practices of these sculptors of the late 20th century—by contrast to their work, she uses only her body and a rivet gun to make her sculptures. Natural materials from American and British land artists Michael Heizer’s granite Circle (1976) and Richard Long’s 23-foot-long Norfolk Ellipse (2003) made from flint and chalk are also included.

Several of the pieces in Only Sculpture have been in the Margulies Collection since the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the 1980s several of the works formed the Grove Isle Sculpture Garden, an open to the public site nestled in the condominium complex in Coconut Grove Margulies built as a real-estate developer. In her essay about the sculpture garden, art historian Paula Harper describes, “Often Margulies himself can be seen leading a tour through the gardens, speaking with contagious enthusiasm about the sculptures he has so passionately collected.” The sculptures not only represent the art historical trajectory of sculpture in the 1960s through present day but show the Margulies Collections’ 40-year-long commitment to educating and displaying significant works of art for the Miami community and art world beyond.