Monel Truss Star

Monel Truss Star is one of several large-scale sculptures realized through CIG’s longstanding collaboration with the late American artist Frank Stella. Based on the construction principles of an earlier aluminum Truss Star, this version was developed in Monel Alloy 400. The resulting sculpture measures approximately 4.3 meters across and weighs around 5.4 tonnes.

CIG’s involvement began with the development of a Monel sample to test the milling process and evaluate different surface treatments before production of the complete artwork. Our team subsequently carried out the engineering and structural analysis required to adapt the existing design to the considerably heavier Monel material.

For production, the individual components were cast and precision CNC milled before undergoing extensive surface finishing and polishing. CIG also developed the production documentation and connections required to assemble the structure. The complete sculpture was trial assembled at our facility in the Netherlands, allowing the finished work to be inspected and approved by Frank Stella before handover.

© 2019 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Photos by Jason Wyche