Alfredo Volpi
Concreto

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Artist Alfredo VolpiBrazilian, born Italy, 1896–1988

CultureBrazilian

Titles

Concreto
Concrete Work

DateDecember, 1950

MediumTempera on canvas

Dimensions45 3/4 × 28 7/8 in. (116.2 × 73.4 cm)

Credit LineThe Adolpho Leirner Collection of Brazilian Constructive Art, museum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Foundation

Object number2005.1037

Current Location

The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building

Gallery 204

On view

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Department

Latin American Art

Special Collections

Adolpho Leirner Collection of Brazilian Constructive Art

Object Type

PAINTING

Description

Volpi depicts three vertical columns of triangles all the
same size, but different in color and position. This uneven unfolding of form
provokes the perception of additional triangles and trapezoids in the voids, which
seem to advance and recede on the picture plane. In a painting ostensibly about
(unbalanced) geometries, light pencil marks and visible brushstrokes also reveal
the artist’s hand. Volpi’s idiosyncratic approach to Concrete art situates him between
the rational Concretistas and Neoconcretista subjectivity.

ProvenanceThe artist; [...]; Adolpho Leirner, São Paulo; sold to MFAH, 2005.
Exhibition HistoryRetrospectiva Alfredo Volpi. Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. São Paulo, Brazil. October 1975.

Volpi 90 anos. Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. São Paulo, Brazil. July-August 1986.

MAM 40 anos. Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. São Paulo, Brazil. April-May 1990.

Artistas Latinoamericanos del siglo XX. Estación Plaza de Armas. Sevilla, Spain. August-October 1992.

Art d’Amérique latine 1911-1968. Centre Georges Pompidou. Paris, France. November 1992-January 1993.

Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century. The Museum of Modern Art. New York, New York. June-September 1993.

Lateinamerikanische Kunst. Museum Ludwig. Cologne, Germany. February-April 1993.

Bienal Brasil Século XX. Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, Parque Ibirapuera. São Paulo, Brazil. April-May 1994.

Arte construtiva no Brasil: Coleção Adolpho Leirner. Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. São Paulo, Brazil. October-December 1998.

Arte construtiva no Brasil: Coleção Adolpho Leirner. Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. January-March 1999.

Cuasi-corpus: arte concreto y neoconcreto de Brasil. MARCO Museo de Arte Contemporáneo. Monterrey, México. July-October 2003.

Cuasi-corpus: arte concreto y neoconcreto de Brasil. Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo. Mexico City, México. February-June 2003.

Dimensions of Constructive Art in Brazil The Adolpho Leirner Collection. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Houston, TX. May-September 2007.

North Looks South: Building the Latin American Art Collection. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Upper Brown Pavilion, June 7 - September 27, 2009.

Constructed Dialogues: Concrete, Geometric, and Kinetic Art from the Latin American Art Collection. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 16 September, 2012 - 6 January, 2013.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Marked in ink on a paper label, verso: "Proprieda all particular / de / Mario Scheulberg / ... meir cuidades / Louses Cedrain" (? o/a) See photocopy in Accsession file.

Signed in ink on verso canvas, lower right: "A Volpi"

Signed in ink on verso exhibition label: "A Volpi"

Printed labels on verso stretchers (see photocopies in Accession file):

"Amado Miguel T. I.S.L. / Exposición ARTISTAS LATINO AMERICANOS SIGLO xx / Ciudad: SEVILLA Fecha: OCT '92 / Titulo: COMPOSICION CONCRETA / Autor: ALFREDO VOLPI / ... / ... BRASIL"

"FULVIA E ADOLPHO LEIRNER / Rua Bahia 204 9o / (011) 666291 660763 / CEP. 01244 São Paulo SP / Brasil"

"82 Alfredo Volpi / Concreto, déc. 50 / Têmpera s/Tela, ... / mam - Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo / exposição: Arte Construtiva Brasileira: Coleção Adolpho Leirner / de 1 de Outubro a 20 de Dezembro de 1998"

"Exhibition: Latin American Artist of / the Twentieth Century / Artist: ALFREDO VOLPI / Title/Date: Composição concreta. / (c. 1950s). / Medium: Tempera on canvas / Museum No.: 92.751 / Box No.: BR33 / The Museum of Modern Art / ... New York ... "

"Museu de Arte Modern de São Paulo / Esta obra fez parte da exposição / VOLPI 90 anos / Títilo Composição Concreta / Técnica t/s/t ... / Década m.50 Coleção Adolfo Leiner / Curador ... (illegible) A. Volpi (printed and in ink)"

"82 Alfredo Volpi / Concreto, déc. 50 / Têmpera s/Tela, ... "

"Centre Georges Pompidou / EXPO : ART D'AMERIQUE LATINE 1911-1968 107 / AUTEUR : ALFREDO VOLPI / TITRE : COMPOSICAO CONCRETA / PRÉTEUR : LEIRNER ADOLPHO / ... SAO PAULO (BRESIL)"

"LATIN AMERICAN ARTIST OF THE 20th CENTURY" / No. : 063 / Autor: ALFREDO VOLPI / Tituloi: Composição Concreta / ... / Coleção: Adolpho Leirner / Cidate: SP / Origen: Sao Paulo Destino: S/P/C/NY"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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