Tatlin’s Sentinel

2001
101’H x 45’W x 40’D
Painted Steel

Hall Arts District
Dallas, Texas

His largest piece to date in terms of height, Tatlin’s Sentinel has become one of John Henry’s benchmark works.  At 101’ high and weighing over 60 tons, the monumental sculpture’s title references Vladimir Tatlin and the roots of the Constructivist movement upon which Henry’s work stands.

This work commands an iconic stature and architectural demeanor. Standing inside of the massive uprights, the viewer experiences grandeur, spatial awareness and a sense of weightlessness that call to mind the soaring ruins of ancient cathedrals that are among the artist’s influences.

A major feat in terms of its construction and installation, Tatlin was completed over the course of a year at the Chattanooga studio.  Three separate tractor trailer loads transported the sculpture to St. Louis for the 2002 exhibition, New Monuments at Laumeier Sculpture Park. After the close of the one year exhibition, Tatlin was taken back to Chattanooga to stand sentinel in front of the studio for a year until it was permanently installed in the arts district of downtown Dallas.