Artist
Gonzalo Fonseca(Uruguayan, 1922–1997)Uruguayan, 1922–1997
CultureUruguayan
Titles
- Columbarium I
Date1966
MediumScaffolding wood, nails, strings, and paint
Dimensions87 × 37 1/2 × 9 in. (221 × 95.3 × 22.9 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the 2009 Latin American Experience Gala and Auction, and Bernard Chappard in memory of Daniela Chappard
Object number2009.573
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 205
On view
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Department
Latin American ArtObject Type
Operating as both relief and assemblage, Columbarium I illustrates Fonseca’s sui generis architectural approach
to the pictographic language of Constructive Universalism. Drawing on his
travels to archeological sites in such places as Peru, Bolivia, Greece, and Turkey,
Fonseca first liberated the symbols from the two-dimensional surface, then inserted
them in the grid to create a mythical architectonic structure. As freestanding objects,
the pictograms can be re-arranged, displayed, or hidden to enhance their symbolic
dimensions.
ProvenanceThe artist; Bernard Chappard; purchased by MFAH, 2009.
Exhibition History"Heterotopias," Madrid, (unknown date).
"Inverted Utopias: The Avant-Garde in Latin America, 1920–1970," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 20–September 12, 2004.
"A Conquest of Latin American Art. Passion and Reason of a Constructive Spirit, Works of the Foundation," Espace Bellevue, Biarritz, France, June 27–September 30, 2006.
"Constructed Dialogues: Concrete, Geometric, and Kinetic Art from the Latin American Art Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 16, 2012–January 6, 2013.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Printed paper label on verso:
EDICT / Ronda de Segovia - 28005 Madrid ... / Tel. 91 364 38 20 - Fax ... / http://www.edict-spain.com - E-mail: arte@edict ... / Expediente: Exp. "Heterotopias" / Propietario: Cecilia de Torres, Ltd / Autor: Gonzalo Fonseca / Titulo: Columbarium no 1, 1964-66UNA-24 / No Orden: 23 No Caja: 46
EDICT / Ronda de Segovia - 28005 Madrid ... / Tel. 91 364 38 20 - Fax ... / http://www.edict-spain.com - E-mail: arte@edict ... / Expediente: Exp. "Heterotopias" / Propietario: Cecilia de Torres, Ltd / Autor: Gonzalo Fonseca / Titulo: Columbarium no 1, 1964-66UNA-24 / No Orden: 23 No Caja: 46
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