Highlighting Josef Albers’ teachings in visual depth perception and industrial production, this essay by Pine Tree Fellow Mary Billyou contextualizes “Structural Constellation” within Albers’ biography and his experience teaching foundations at three schools: Bauhaus, Black Mountain College, and Yale University. Queens College’s Godwin-Ternbach Museum holds one iteration of “Structural Constellation,” of which Albers described as having qualities of “liberated ease, …[being] spiritual, non-possessive.” An artist, craftsman, and art teacher in the 20th Century, Josef Albers wrote “Interaction of Color,” (1963) a major text on the visual perception of color. Billyou explores the history and the construction of “Structural Constellation,” extending analysis to suggest how foundational studies further structure Swiss designer Karl Gerstner’s sign-like “Carro 64” (1962) and the adaptable modular sculpture “Agawam” (1968) by New York experimental writer, historian and artist Jacob Drachler.
To check out the full essay, please click on: Essay on Josef Albers, Structural Constellation, by Mary Billyou, 2026
Check out the Catalog Records of the Mentioned Artworks:
If you are interested in learning more about Abstract Art please check out the Godwin-Ternbach Museums catalog.
Essay Written by Mary Billyou, Page Edited by Elena Butuzova, September 2026