Joel Shapiro is one of the most acclaimed and eagerly collected American sculptors of the past two generations. His work in both wood and bronze developed out of the Minimalist movement that emphasizes clean, geometric forms and studied compositions. The artist’s iconic style utilizes rectangular elements in animated compositions that suggest movement and—in examples such as this—dance. Although his works are not figurative in the traditional sense, many refer to the general proportions of the torso and limbs of the human form.