Manuel Espinosa
Aem1971

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Manuel Espinosa
Argentina, Buenos Aires, 1912-2006
Title: Aem
Date Made: 1971
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 56 1/4 × 56 1/4 × 1/4 in. (142.88 × 142.88 × 0.64 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Colección Manuel Espinosa, Courtesy of Sicardi Ayers Bacino
Accession Number: M.2024.11
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: Manuel Espinosa was a major proponent of geometric abstraction in Argentina, often working through repeated variations on a theme to explore optical effects. In Aem, a sequence of squares recurs in evenly spaced columns and rows. Each point is in fact three overlapping squares, rotated at the same angles but painted in different tones and shades. These subtle distinctions create a vibrating rhythm and visual illusion in which the painting appears to contain its own shadows. The square was a central focus of Espinosa’s paintings throughout the 1970s, embedding his work in a history of international modernism that includes artists such as Kazimir Malevich (1879–1935; M.2010.150.3) and Josef Albers (1888–1976; M.81.51.1).

Rachel Kaplan

2024
Copyright: © Manuel Espinosa

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Manuel Espinosa
Argentina, Buenos Aires, 1912-2006
Title: Aem
Date Made: 1971
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 56 1/4 × 56 1/4 × 1/4 in. (142.88 × 142.88 × 0.64 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Colección Manuel Espinosa, Courtesy of Sicardi Ayers Bacino
Accession Number: M.2024.11
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: Manuel Espinosa was a major proponent of geometric abstraction in Argentina, often working through repeated variations on a theme to explore optical effects. In Aem, a sequence of squares recurs in evenly spaced columns and rows. Each point is in fact three overlapping squares, rotated at the same angles but painted in different tones and shades. These subtle distinctions create a vibrating rhythm and visual illusion in which the painting appears to contain its own shadows. The square was a central focus of Espinosa’s paintings throughout the 1970s, embedding his work in a history of international modernism that includes artists such as Kazimir Malevich (1879–1935; M.2010.150.3) and Josef Albers (1888–1976; M.81.51.1).

Rachel Kaplan

2024