Saint Louis, Missouri
Robert Edward Backowski

Mixed metals, wire, wood, glass, leather, plastic
ca. 1980s
Length: 62 1/2 in; Height: 56 in
Other – Sculptures

Signed: Robert Backowski

This signed mixed media modernist sculpture by St. Louis artist Robert Backowski (1932-2021) is an elaborate form of nautical, aeronautical, and musical motifs.  Reflected in its name “Starship of our Federation,” is the popularity and passion for Star Trek (“To boldly go where no man has gone before”), an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenbery in the 1960s that quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon and expanded into films, television series, video games, novels, and comic books.  This fantastic sculpture is also a homage to a line drawing by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Titled, “A Bizarre Collection of Antiques and Curios” it was used on the cover of their 1971 album, “Relics.”  A similar sculpture is featured in the 1996 album release.