John Yau reviews Eleanore Mikus: Tablets and Related Works, 1960–69 at Craig F. Starr Gallery, New York, on view through March 25, 2017.

Yau rites: “[Eleanore Mikus] brought together nuance and structure, making them into a subtly captivating experience… she is clearly uninterested in the perfection we associate with the Minimalist aesthetic, and with artists such as Martin and Judd. The uneven surfaces and sections of grooved wood introduce imperfect lines and edges and the awareness of time passing. In contrast with Andre’s sheets of lead or copper, or Judd’s fabricated boxes, Mikus’s hand painted, folded, and cut pieces seem defenseless. She was not interested in replicating industrial perfection, but in using humble materials with nature as their kernel: paper, cardboard, and wood.”