Carmelo Arden Quin
Forme Noire, no. I

Forme Noire, no. I

© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Forme Noire, no. I
Forme Noire, no. I
ArtistUruguayan, 1913–2010
CultureUruguayan
Titles
  • Forme Noire, no. I
  • Black Form, no. I
Date1942
MediumOil on cardboard mounted on wood
Dimensions16 1/4 × 11 7/16 × 3/4 in. (41.3 × 29 × 1.9 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the 2013 Latin American Experience Gala and Auction, and Olive M. Jenney
Object number2014.813
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 205
On view

Explore Further

Object Type
Description

This is the
earliest of six works illustrating Arden Quin’s pioneering concept of an
“autonomous painting,” free from illusionistic representation and the
traditional pictorial frame. Although entirely abstract, the burlap circle in
the upper right and the triangles on the lower left suggest an anthropomorphic,
mask-like eye and “teeth,” or “claws,” thus dialoguing with Torres-García’s Forma anímica entrecruzada. Arden Quin
met Torres-García in 1938 and was inspired by the master’s Constructive
Universalist aesthetic philosophy.




ProvenanceThe artist; by descent to artist’s spouse, Buenos Aires, 2010; [Debbie Frydman Gallery, Buenos Aires]; sold to MFAH, 2014.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Verso, inscribed in black ink: [signature] / 1942 / MONTEVIDEO / FORME / NOIRE / 41.5 X 4 [...]
Verso, inscribed in graphite: 55 x 42
Verso, signed in black ink: Arden Quin
Verso, inscribed on white sticker: 269

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

L'oeil
Carmelo Arden Quin
1938
Oil on cardboard mounted on wood
2015.96
Overall front
Carmelo Arden Quin
1945
Oil on wood
2021.346
Coplanal
Carmelo Arden Quin
1946
Wood, metal, and thread
2014.812
Physichromie 48
Carlos Cruz-Diez
February, 1961
Cardboard (Celloderme) casein (Plaka) mounted on plywood with painted wood frame and aluminum strip frame
2005.322
Constructivo blanco
Horacio Torres
1952
Oil on cardboard
2018.138
Soles y vegetales
Mario Abreu
1949
Oil on cardboard
2017.472
Paisaje urbano
Rafael Barradas
1919
Oil on cardboard
2018.229
Juanito va a la ciudad
Antonio Berni
1963
Wood, paint, industrial trash, cardboard, scrap metal, leather, and fabric on wood
2007.1167
Physichromie 23
Carlos Cruz-Diez
February, 1961
Cardboard, casein (Plaka) on plywood inserted in wood with aluminum strip frame
2005.323
Cotillion
Derek Fordjour
2022
Acrylic, charcoal, cardboard, oil pastel and foil on newspaper mounted on canvas
2022.190
Composición con grises (Composition in Grey)
Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar
1956
Oil on paper mounted on board
2022.151
Sin título
Martin Blaszko
1947
Oil on canvas mounted to fiberboard, painted wooden frame
2017.438