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Mold (Muffa)

A work made of oil, synthetic polymer, pumice, and metallic paint on canvas.
© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

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  • A work made of oil, synthetic polymer, pumice, and metallic paint on canvas.

Date:

1952

Artist:

Alberto Burri
Italian, 1915–1995

About this artwork

Alberto Burri began his career as an artist after returning to Italy in 1946 from Texas, where he had been held in a prisoner-of-war camp. Attracted to unconventional, humble materials—such as tar, sand, and enamel— and processes like collage, Burri made work that is related to the European Informel movement and the Art Brut of Jean Dubuffet and is seen as a precursor to Arte Povera. Using a restricted palette of red and black, Burri established a simplicity and directness in his abstract work. Mold, a mixed-media painting, is from a series in which he explored the use of pumice stone. Here the visceral impact of this gritty, highly porous substance exemplifies Burri’s pursuit of material reality without recourse to realism.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Alberto Burri

Title

Mold (Muffa)

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1946–1956

Medium

Oil, synthetic polymer, pumice, and metallic paint on canvas

Dimensions

Without frame: 72.1 × 80 cm (28 7/16 × 31 1/2 in.); 72.1 × 80.1 cm (28 3/8 × 31 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Studs Terkel in memory of Ida Terkel

Reference Number

2002.590

Copyright

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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