Vintage "Tangle" Desktop Sculpture - 1982 - Richard X Zawitz

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The vintage Tangle sculpture is a seminal postmodern kinetic art piece and therapeutic devise designed by artist Richard X Zawitz … Read more The vintage Tangle sculpture is a seminal postmodern kinetic art piece and therapeutic devise designed by artist Richard X Zawitz in 1981-1982. Based on his artistic philosophy of “Curvism” and inspired by the continuous form of the Tibetan Infinite Knot, the Tangle consists of interlocking, pivotable 90-degree curved sections. It can be twisted, coiled and reshaped into an endless variety of freestanding abstract sculptures or hand-held puzzle positions.

While originally popularized as an interactive “desktop museum sculpture” and an educational/sensory tool, the early 1980’s ABS plastic iterations -particularly the vibrant red colorway- have become highly sought after 80’s space-age decor icons.

Vintage 1982 originals feature mold-injected ABS acrylic tubes fitted with specialized internal rotating snap joints.

They came in different sizes. As i have researched this I am perplexed by the seemingly arbitrary ways people have chosen to measure them. This particular sculpture is made from 18 segments. The tubing is 2’’ in diameter. When laid out as flat as possible it measures about 18’’ (see photo).
All of the joints are tight and hold their shape.

Early pieces came with a transparent or silver foil manufacturer’s sticker on one of the links.
This piece has no sticker.
Excellent condition with no major scuffs or scratches. See less