1990
February 1990. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 69 × 44 × 39 in (175 × 112 × 99 cm).
Private collection.
February 1990. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 86 × 30 × 36 in (218 × 76 × 91 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
March 1990. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 21 × 35 × 13 in (53 × 89 × 33 cm).
Over the years I have created many sculptures that feature openings or portals suggesting entrance or passages into spaces and places, both real and figurative. In Portal (ad augusta per ad augusta)” 1990, a small, narrow “portal” or archway is created by an arc of steel bookended by two pieces of found granite.
Occasionally I use Latin (the one foreign language I briefly studied) in my titles as a way to “bridge” the romance languages and expand the work’s communicative power. The sub title literally translates “to honors through difficulties” (augusta refers to holy places, angusta to narrow places) all suggesting that to achieve great results, we must pay the price, a maxim that was very much a part of my upbringing and perhaps a fit motto for dieters.
August 1990. Green marble, steel. Dimensions: 107 × 131 × 72 in (272 × 333 × 183 cm).
Private Collection
August 1990. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 52 × 91 × 41 in (132 × 231 × 104 cm).
Private collection - San Francisco
Pique à terre is a term from classical French ballet for a pose with one toe touching the ground, the other foot firmly planted, and a sweeping arm gesture. Once you are aware of the title, when you see the piece the connection is clear. I am in a sense choreographing these works, getting a heavy weight off the ground and making it dance—taking what is often seen as a negative, the fact that stone is damn heavy and a big hassle to move around, and turning it into a positive. It is this transition that helps give theses pieces their magic.
October 1990. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 65 × 56 × 29 in (165 × 142 × 74 cm).
Private collection - New York
Charting the Course (1990), in bronze and granite, encapsulates John Van Alstine’s exploration of navigation as a metaphor for human agency and the necessity of choosing one’s path in life. Anchored by a grounded granite base and animated by outward-reaching bronze elements, the sculpture suggests a moment of poised decision—where direction is not predetermined but actively set. Reflecting his broader use of tools and structural tension, Van Alstine evokes navigation as an engaged, responsible act requiring balance, adjustment, and intention. Like related works such as the Tiller series and Charting the Course II, the piece embodies his belief that life is a continual process of orientation and movement, shaped by the risks we accept and the courses we choose to follow.
October 1990. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 21 × 28 × 12 in (53 × 71 × 30 cm).
Fenestra (Latin for "window") refers to a small opening, pore, or perforation, primarily used in biology to describe openings in bones (e.g., ear fenestrae) or cells. It also refers to a window-like architectural opening, transparent spots on insect wings, or specialized medical imaging tools.
October 1990. Slate, bronze. Dimensions: 23 × 50 × 26 in (58 × 127 × 66 cm). Private Collection
Corvus (ˈkȯr-vəs) — A small constellation adjoining Virgo to the south. The name derives from the Latin corvus, meaning “raven.”
October 1990. Slate, bronze. Dimensions: 36 × 39 × 19 in (91 × 99 × 48 cm).
Private collection - Aspen, CO
October 1990. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 42 × 41 × 18 in (107 × 104 × 46 cm).
An adze (/ædz/) or adz is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel.
November 1990. Slate, bronze. Dimensions: 46 × 56 × 26 in (117 × 142 × 66 cm).
Fornix is a Latin noun (masculine, third declension) meaning "arch," "vault," or "vaulted chamber".
November 1990. Green granite, bronze. Dimensions: 117 × 60 × 46 in (297 × 152 × 117 cm).
Private collection - Santa Fe
November 1990. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 24 × 25 × 12 in (61 × 64 × 30 cm).
Private Collection
December 1990. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 28 × 48 × 16 in (71 × 122 × 41 cm).
Pes is the Latin word for "foot,". Anatomy: Defines the foot or footlike structure of humans and four-legged animals.
1989
January 1989. Black granite, bronze. Dimensions: 9 × 26 × 17 in (23 × 66 × 43 cm).
Collection of the artist.
Employing the universal metaphor of the vessel or boat—associated with passage and as a container of the “self”—Eden (1989) makes both a personal and universal statement. The title shares the name of my daughter, born on the last day of 1988, while also evoking the biblical Eden and its associations with purity and the “garden of paradise.”
Looking down at my newborn child, I saw an open vessel. Like the open cast-bronze form of the sculpture, she suggested a shell or container—unfilled and untainted. I associated this open, placid form with our newborn: pure, receptive, and poised to stake out her own destiny, yet to be filled with society’s contaminations, impurities, burdens, rules, and expectations.
January 1989. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 6 × 15 × 16 in (15 × 38 × 41 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
Pyxis (/'p?ks?s/; Greek: box) is a small and faint constellation in the southern sky. Abbreviated from Pyxis Nautica, its name is Latin for a mariner's compass
January 1989. Red stone, bronze. Dimensions: 3 × 10 × 6 in (8 × 25 × 15 cm). Private Collection.
Private collection - Washington, DC
Pyxis (/'p?ks?s/; Greek: box) is a small and faint constellation in the southern sky. Abbreviated from Pyxis Nautica, its name is Latin for a mariner's compass
January 1989. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 36 × 17 × 19 in (91 × 43 × 48 cm). Private Collection
January 1989. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 40 × 20 × 12 in (102 × 51 × 30 cm). Private Collection
January 1989. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 84 × 22 × 26 in (213 × 56 × 66 cm). Private Collection Aspen, CO
February 1989. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 78 × 22 × 10 in (198 × 56 × 25 cm).
Corporate collection - Health South Inc., Burmingham, AL
February 1989. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 78 × 29 × 38 in (198 × 74 × 97 cm).
Collection - the Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New York
“Many of my works incorporate anvils, either real or cast. Anvils have the shape suggestive of a boat or vessel which implies journey which interests me. But further, as a metal worker, the anvil is the place where I physically and conceptually forge things together, there is an art spirit that comes off the anvil. It‘s almost like an altar. I've titled many of these pieces Ara, which is Latin for altar. Also, to me the anvil is the quintessential heavy object, and to get it up in the air creates a wonderful sense of tension.”
John Van Alstine
from, Bones of the Earth: Spirit of the Land
Grayson Press, 1999
April 1989. Granite, steel, found object. Dimensions: 103 × 29 × 22 in (262 × 74 × 56 cm).
Kouros statues are iconic Archaic Greek sculptures (c. 615–460 BC) representing nude male youths, serving as votive offerings to gods or grave markers for elite individuals. Influenced by Egyptian art, they feature a rigid, frontal pose with one foot forward and stylized hair. These figures symbolize idealized youth, strength, and aristocratic honor rather than realistic portraits.
April 1989. Wood, bronze. Dimensions: 85 × 12 × 8 in (216 × 30 × 20 cm).
Collection: Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL
August 1989. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 82 × 32 × 19 in (208 × 81 × 48 cm).
Carina - A constellation: the Keel.
October 1989. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 48 × 48 × 18 in (122 × 122 × 46 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
1989-91. Aluminum, granite, stainless steel. Dimensions: 12 × 30 × 45 in (30 × 76 × 114 cm).
Commissioned by the Super Computer Research Center and installed in Bowie, MD just outside of Washington, DC. The work is a sundial and solstice calendar with the unique feature of a correction analemma which compensates for the difference between local solar time and Eastern Standard Time. Located at the entrance of the building, the hour dial and calendar features can be seen and enjoyed from many locations inside the building.
In SCR Sunwork John Van Alstine expanded the concepts first explored in Solstice Calendar at Austin College. Designed for one of the nation's leading scientific research institutions, the sculpture functions simultaneously as monumental public art and a celestial instrument. Through the movement of sunlight and shadow, it records the changing seasons, inviting viewers to experience the ancient rhythms of the sun within the context of a cutting-edge center devoted to scientific discovery.
The commission reflects Van Alstine's enduring belief that art and science share a common pursuit—the search for meaning through observation, curiosity, and discovery. Inspired by prehistoric observatories such as Stonehenge and the ceremonial architecture of Mesoamerica, SCR Sunwork transforms a contemporary research campus into a place of reflection, reminding us that long before computers and satellites, humanity looked to the sky to measure time and understand its place in the universe. The project further established Van Alstine's Celestial Works series, leading to later commissions including Artery Sunwork, 2nd Street Sunwork, and Via Solaris.
MORE INFO: SCR Sunwork chapter in AMERICAN MONUMENTS
December 1989. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 51 × 63 × 40 in (130 × 160 × 102 cm).
Corporate collection - Washington, DC
Pique à terre is a term from classical French ballet for a pose with one toe touching the ground, the other foot firmly planted, and a sweeping arm gesture. Once you are aware of the title, when you see the piece the connection is clear. I am in a sense choreographing these works, getting a heavy weight off the ground and making it dance—taking what is often seen as a negative, the fact that stone is damn heavy and a big hassle to move around, and turning it into a positive. It is this transition that helps give theses pieces their magic.
December 1989. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 32 × 44 × 24 in (81 × 112 × 61 cm).
Urceus (plural: urcei) is a Latin term for an ancient Roman one-handled jug or pitcher.
December 1989. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 81 × 98 × 60 in (206 × 249 × 152 cm).
The title Odalisque refers to a long tradition in Western art in which the reclining female figure has served as a vehicle for exploring beauty, proportion, and the expressive possibilities of the human form. From Titian and Ingres to Matisse, Picasso, and Henry Moore, artists have continually reinterpreted this enduring subject, each bringing a new perspective to the relationship between figure and abstraction.
For many years, the landscape was my primary source of inspiration. Gradually I came to see the human figure as another kind of landscape—one shaped by gravity, balance, movement, and gesture. Rather than creating a literal representation, Odalisque I suggests the body through the abstract dialogue of granite and steel. Existing somewhere between recognition and ambiguity, the sculpture invites viewers to complete the image through their own imagination. It marked the beginning of an exploration that continues throughout my work, where the figure emerges not through anatomy, but through balance, rhythm, and the expressive relationship between natural and fabricated materials.
— John Van Alstine
December 1989. Bronze. Dimensions: 16 × 8 × 8 in (41 × 20 × 20 cm).
Private collection - New York State
December 1989. Bronze. Dimensions: 18 × 10 × 18 in (46 × 25 × 46 cm). Private collection - CA
Pyxis - small and faint constellation in the southern sky. Latin for a mariner's compass. Pyxis is completely visible in latitudes south of 53 degrees north from January through March.
Awry (1): in a turned or twisted position or direction: askew; (2): off the correct or expected course: amiss
The works in this series feature a “vessel” form - historically understood in art and literature as a symbol or metaphor for the self, a group of people, human kind. If the vessel’s compass is awry it will likely end up adrift, untethered, off course.
My intent is raise questions as to personal (or a group) decisions/courses of action and shed light on the resulting consequences, whether they are personal, political, environmental.
1988
January 1988. Pink granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 70 × 54 × 36 in (178 × 137 × 91 cm).
Private collection - Los Angles, CA
Over the years, I have created many sculptures featuring openings or portals, suggesting entrances, thresholds, and passages into spaces and places, both real and figurative. Often, a vessel form—a metaphor for the individual and a carrier of our experiences, memories, and aspirations—moves toward or through a portal or gateway.
This passage suggests a moment of personal transition or breakthrough: moving beyond obstacles and from the known toward the unknown. The portal becomes both a barrier and an opening, while the vessel embodies the energy and determination required to pass through it toward discovery, transformation, and new possibilities.
February 1988. Pink granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 85 × 22 × 27 in (216 × 56 × 69 cm).
Private collection - New York State
February 1988. Pink granite, painted steel.
Private collection - Baltimore, MD
Left to right : Vessel II 72"h - Vessel IV 70"h - Vessel VI 72"h
April 1988. Pink granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 86 × 12 × 12 in (218 × 30 × 30 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
September 1988. Granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 103 × 24 × 15 in (262 × 61 × 38 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
Over the years, I have created many sculptures featuring openings or portals, suggesting entrances, thresholds, and passages into spaces and places, both real and figurative. Often, a vessel form—a metaphor for the individual and a carrier of our experiences, memories, and aspirations—moves toward or through a portal or gateway.
This passage suggests a moment of personal transition or breakthrough: moving beyond obstacles and from the known toward the unknown. The portal becomes both a barrier and an opening, while the vessel embodies the energy and determination required to pass through it toward discovery, transformation, and new possibilities.
October 1988. Granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 36 × 38 × 15 in (91 × 97 × 38 cm).
Private collection - Santa Fe
September 1988. Granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 36 × 38 × 15 in (91 × 97 × 38 cm).
Private collection - Santa Fe
October 1988. Granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 79 × 26 × 10 in (201 × 66 × 25 cm).
Left to right : Vessel II 72"h - Vessel IV 70"h - Vessel VI 72"h
October 1988. Granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 72 × 28 × 16 in (183 × 71 × 41 cm).
Left to right : Vessel II 72"h - Vessel IV 70"h - Vessel VI 72"h
October 1988. Granite, stainless. Dimensions: 144 × 76 × 48 in (366 × 193 × 122 cm).
Corporate commission - Washington, DC.
East River Totem(1988) was commissioned for a prominent public site in Washington, D.C., during a period when John Van Alstine's sculpture was evolving toward a leaner, more architectural vocabulary. Rising sixteen feet, the work combines granite and stainless steel in a vertical composition that recalls ancient standing stones while embracing the precision and materials of the modern city. The sculpture reflects Van Alstine's growing interest in creating forms that serve as visual landmarks—connecting earth, sky, and the experience of place.
While rooted in the enduring permanence of stone, East River Totem also expresses movement and balance through its dynamic interplay of mass and line. Created at a pivotal moment in the artist's career, the commission foreshadowed the elegant totems, portals, and celestial works that followed, including SCR Sunwork, Artery Sunwork, and Passage. It represents an important transition from the more expressive sculptures of the early 1980s toward the distilled visual language that would become a hallmark of Van Alstine's mature public work.
October 1988. Granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 168 × 48 × 24 in (427 × 122 × 61 cm).
Private collection - Minneapolis, MN
December 1988. Granite, bronze. Dimensions: 80 × 42 × 18 in (203 × 107 × 46 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
Symplegades (sim-PLEG-uh-deez)
The Clashing Rocks, which smashed together upon any ship passing between them. Jason and the Argonauts had been advised to avoid this trap by causing a bird to fly ahead of their vessel. The Symplegades clashed together on its tail feathers, then drew apart in readiness to clash again. At this moment, the Argonauts sailed through safely, with only minor damage to the very stern of their ship.
1987
February 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 35 × 54 × 18 in (89 × 137 × 46 cm).
Private collection.
February 1987. Granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 16 × 17 × 7 in (41 × 43 × 18 cm).
(No photos available)
February 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 48 × 53 × 21 in (122 × 135 × 53 cm).
Private collection
March 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 56 × 10 × 8 in (142 × 25 × 20 cm).
Private collection - New York
March 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 53 × 27 × 8 in (135 × 69 × 20 cm).
Private collection - New York
Name derives from the incredible green Himalayan glacier lakes the artist visited in 1986 white touring Pakistan and western China.
There are three lakes in Naltar Valley known as Naltar Lakes or Bashkiri Lakes at an altitude ranging from 3050“3150 m.
The first Bashkiri Lake is located at a distance of 12 kilometers (8 mi) from Upper Naltar (or the Naltar Bala).
June 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 16"h x17"w x7"d.
Private collection - Baltimore
October 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 85 × 57 × 22 in (216 × 145 × 56 cm).
Pyxis - small and faint constellation in the southern sky. Latin for a mariner's compass. Pyxis is completely visible in latitudes south of 53 degrees north from January through March.
Awry (1): in a turned or twisted position or direction: askew; (2): off the correct or expected course: amiss
The works in this series feature a “vessel” form - historically understood in art and literature as a symbol or metaphor for the self, a group of people, human kind. If the vessel’s compass is awry it will likely end up adrift, untethered, off course.
My intent is raise questions as to personal (or a group) decisions/courses of action and shed light on the resulting consequences, whether they are personal, political, environmental.
October 1987. Local granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 24 × 43 × 18 in (61 × 109 × 46 cm).
Private collection.
October 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 87 × 32 × 34 in (221 × 81 × 86 cm).
Symplegades Passage
1987
polychromed granite and steel
Symplegades Passage draws its inspiration from the ancient Greek myth of the Symplegades, or "Clashing Rocks," two immense stone cliffs that relentlessly crashed together, destroying any vessel attempting to pass between them. According to legend, the hero Jason and the Argonauts successfully navigated the perilous passage with courage, skill, and a measure of divine assistance. In this sculpture, two granite forms are poised above a pedestal while a slender steel vessel slips between them, capturing the fleeting moment between danger and safe passage.
Rather than illustrating the myth literally, Symplegades Passage transforms it into a metaphor for life's pivotal moments of uncertainty and transition. The opposing stones suggest the forces that confront us throughout our lives, while the fragile vessel embodies determination, resilience, and hope. As in much of John Van Alstine's work, the ancient narrative becomes a contemporary reflection on the universal human journey—the courage to move forward despite the obstacles that stand in our way.
December 1987. Painted slate, painted steel. Dimensions: 10'h x5'w x4'd
Private collection.
December 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 12'h x12'w x6'd,
Painted version - 1987
Collection: Runy Mede Sculpture Garden, San Francisco, CA
January 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 10’h x 7’w × 5’d
Private collection - Aspen
January 1987. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 16 × 17 × 7 in (41 × 43 × 18 cm).
Private collection.
January 1987. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 8 × 9 × 4 in (20 × 23 × 10 cm).
(Destroyed by artist)
January 1988. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 16 × 12 × 9 in (41 × 30 × 23 cm).
Private collection: Washington, DC
1986
June 1986. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 12 × 6 × 4 in (30 × 15 × 10 cm).
Private collection - Philidelphia, PA
January 1986. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 51 × 46 × 16 in (130 × 117 × 41 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
August 1986. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 8 × 4 × 2 in (20 × 10 × 5 cm).
No photos available.
March 1986. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 72 × 24 × 24 in (183 × 61 × 61 cm).
Private collection - Baltimore, DC
January 1986. Granite, stainless steel. Dimensions: 22 × 40 × 20 in (56 × 102 × 51 cm).
Solstice Calendar (1985–86) was John Van Alstine's third major public commission and the first in a series of monumental sculptures exploring the relationship between the earth, the sun, and the passage of time. Commissioned for Austin College in Sherman, Texas, the work consists of two monumental granite pylons joined by a horizontal stone element. At solar noon each day, a steel bar suspended between the pylons casts a shadow that marks the changing seasons, recording the winter and summer solstices and the spring and autumn equinoxes. Conceived as both sculpture and scientific instrument, the work bridges art, astronomy, and landscape.
Inspired by Van Alstine's travels among the prehistoric stone monuments of Britain and the ceremonial architecture of Mesoamerica, Solstice Calendarreflects his enduring interest in humankind's oldest methods of understanding the cosmos. Positioned between Austin College's arts and sciences buildings, the sculpture symbolizes the union of those disciplines while inviting viewers to experience the rhythms of the natural world. The success of the project established the foundation for Van Alstine's continuing Celestial Works series, including SCR Sunwork, Artery Sunwork, 2nd Street Sunwork, and Via Solaris.
1985
March 1985. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 38 × 50 × 16 in (97 × 127 × 41 cm).
Private Collection.
June 1985. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 44 × 77 × 40 in (112 × 196 × 102 cm).
Collection: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
June 1985. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 12 × 34 × 48 in (30 × 86 × 122 cm).
St. Lawrence University Collection, Canton, New York
July 1985. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 31 × 41 × 28 in (79 × 104 × 71 cm).
Private collection Washington, DC
August 1985. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 32 × 42 × 12 in (81 × 107 × 30 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
August 1985. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 28 × 26 × 12 in (71 × 66 × 30 cm).
Private collection - Baltimore
January 1985. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 6 × 8 × 4 in (15 × 20 × 10 cm).
Collection: Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ
November 1985. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 7 × 10 × 5 in (18 × 25 × 13 cm).
Private collection - Baltimore MD.
May 1985. Painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 24 × 36 × 33 in (61 × 91 × 84 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
LUNA I, 1985, granite and steel, 10'h x7'w x5'd
(Original 1985 unpainted version)
Private collection - Aspen
1984
January 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 12 × 12 × 8 in (30 × 30 × 20 cm).
Collection: Runy Mede Sculpture Garden, San Francisco, CA
January 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 20 × 30 × 15 in (51 × 76 × 38 cm).
Private Collection
January 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 22 × 42 × 10 in (56 × 107 × 25 cm).
Private collection - Baltimore
January 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 32 × 39 × 18 in (81 × 99 × 46 cm).
Private collection - Baltimore
April 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 10 × 4 × 4 in (25 × 10 × 10 cm).
Corporate collection.
April 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 8.5 × 7 × 3.5 in (22 × 18 × 9 cm).
Private collection - Los Angeles
June 1984. Slate, steel. Dimensions: 102 × 44 × 41 in (259 × 112 × 104 cm).
Private collection - New Jersey
September 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 8.5 × 4 × 3.5 in (22 × 10 × 9 cm).
Collection: Dayton Institute of Art, Dayton, OH
October 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 24 × 30 × 16 in (61 × 76 × 41 cm).
Private collection - Baltimore
December 1984. Slate, steel. Dimensions: 10.5 × 4 × 3 in (27 × 10 × 8 cm).
Collection: Deleware Museum, Wilmington, DE
December 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 6.5 × 7.5 × 3.5 in (17 × 19 × 9 cm).
Private collection - Chicago, IL
1983
May 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 3.5 × 3.5 × 2 in (9 × 9 × 5 cm).
Private Collection
October 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 16 × 25 × 15 in (41 × 64 × 38 cm).
Corporate Collection: Luck Stone Corp. - Richmond, VA
Big Go-Round (1983) was John Van Alstine's second major public commission and his first corporate installation, created for the headquarters of Luck Stone Corporation in Richmond, Virginia. Standing approximately sixteen feet high, the sculpture combines massive granite with fabricated steel in a sweeping circular composition that marked a pivotal shift in the artist's work—from the tightly structured "Nature of Stone" sculptures of the 1970s toward a more fluid, lyrical vocabulary inspired by landscape, motion, and organic growth.
Commissioned by one of the nation's leading producers of crushed stone, Big Go-Round celebrates both the material from which it is made and the dynamic forces that shape the earth. Rather than depicting industry directly, the sculpture transforms stone and steel into an image of balance, movement, and renewal. The project proved to be an important milestone, leading to a long series of large-scale public commissions that would define Van Alstine's career over the following four decades.
MORE INFO: Big Go-Round chapter in AMERICAN MONUMENTS
March 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 8 × 12 × 5 in (20 × 30 × 13 cm).
Collection of Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
January 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 7.5 × 4 × 3 in (19 × 10 × 8 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 8 × 10 × 6 in (20 × 25 × 15 cm).
Collection: GULBENKIAN MUSEUM, Lisbon, Portugal
January 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 20 × 40 × 18 in (51 × 102 × 46 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 20 × 48 × 24 in (51 × 122 × 61 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
1982
September 1982. Gray granite, steel. Dimensions: 15 × 6 × 5 in (38 × 15 × 13 cm).
Collection: Grounds for Sculpture - Hamilton, NJ
August 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 11 × 25 × 12 in (28 × 64 × 30 cm).
Public Commission - Billings, Montana
Trough (1982) was John Van Alstine's first large-scale public commission, created to commemorate the centennial of Billings, Montana. Composed of two monumental granite slabs held in dynamic suspension by interlocking steel elements, the sculpture marked the culmination of the artist's early Nature of Stone series while introducing the monumental scale and site-specific thinking that would define his public work for the next four decades.
Rather than serving as an isolated object, Trough was conceived as a response to its landscape. The dramatic negative space between the leaning stones echoes the broad geological trough carved by the Yellowstone River through the surrounding high plains, forging a direct connection between sculpture and place. This fusion of abstract form, geological history, and human experience established an approach that became a hallmark of Van Alstine's monumental commissions throughout the United States and abroad.
November 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 64 × 176 × 90 in (163 × 447 × 229 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 8 × 3 × 4 in (20 × 8 × 10 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 17 × 4 × 5 in (43 × 10 × 13 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 24 × 32 × 92 in (61 × 81 × 234 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 11 × 7 × 5 in (28 × 18 × 13 cm).
Collection - SMITHSONION AMERICAN ART MUSEUM, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
January 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 9 × 6 × 5 in (23 × 15 × 13 cm).
Collection: Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
April 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 12 × 12 × 4 in (30 × 30 × 10 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1982. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 5 × 7 × 4 in (13 × 18 × 10 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
1981
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 62 × 28 × 12 in (157 × 71 × 30 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 70 × 38 × 12 in (178 × 97 × 30 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 92 × 32 × 32 in (234 × 81 × 81 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 98 × 40 × 40 in (249 × 102 × 102 cm).
Private collection - Akien, SC
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 24 × 45 × 10 in (61 × 114 × 25 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1981. Pink granite, steel. Dimensions: 44 × 105 × 59 in (112 × 267 × 150 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 77 × 21 × 18 in (196 × 53 × 46 cm).
Private collection - Washington, DC
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 36 × 56 × 36 in (91 × 142 × 91 cm).
Private collection - New York
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 28 × 54 × 22 in (71 × 137 × 56 cm).
Private collection - New York
January 1990. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 22 × 30 × 15 in (56 × 76 × 38 cm).
Collection: Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL. Gift of Murray Bring and Kate Delaney Bring