Through the insightful perspective of one of America's preeminent art critics, this publication traces the development - with photographs and prose - of the work of one of the country's most original and inventive sculptors.Don Gummer first came to the attention of the New York art scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s with his painted-wood wall reliefs - formally layered geometric arrangements with strong architectural influence. He later moved from the wooden wall reliefs to metal "building" shapes of his own imagining. Soon the pieces became free-standing works of compelling strength and authority. Whether whimsically employing cardboard boxes as forms for his more recent treelike stainless steel and bronze sculptures or creating monumental "skyscraper" shapes, Gummer's unique style is characterized by a masterful attention to craftsmanship and detail.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1946, Gummer grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana.The recipient of awards from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, Gummer is represented in a number of important public collections in the United States and abroad. In the year 2000 a monumental new work was dedicated at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio.Peter Plagens is a painter and art critic for Newsweek magazine. He lives in New York City.