Closet

sculpture by Whiteread

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July 20, 2026

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The sculpture "Closet" by Rachel Whiteread is a plaster cast of the interior space of a wardrobe. Whiteread is known for her monumental sculptures that focus on representing negative space. She casts the interior of everyday objects and spaces, transforming them into solid forms that reveal the unseen. "Closet" was one of her early works, created for her first solo exhibition in 1988, alongside other casts of interior spaces like "Mantle" and "Shallow Breath". This approach is comparable to the casts of those who died at Pompeii, capturing the essence of what was once there.1

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Rachel Whiteread
…Islington, she showed four sculptures: Closet, Mantle, Shallow Breath, and Torso. Each was a plaster cast of some interior space, an effect roughly comparable to the casts made of those who died at Pompeii. Torso embodies the interior of a hot-water bottle; Mantle
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…Islington, she showed four sculptures: Closet, Mantle, Shallow Breath, and Torso. Each was a plaster cast of some interior space, an effect roughly comparable to the casts made of those who died at Pompeii. Torso embodies the interior of a hot-water bottle; Mantle
Read More