Artwork
Construction
Construction is an oil painting by Aleksandra Ekster. It dates from 1925 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Aleksandra Ekster’s oil painting *Construction*, executed around 1925, is held by the Museum of Modern Art. The work presents a tightly organized arrangement of geometric forms that convey a sense of movement and structural tension, characteristic of Ekster’s mature visual language.
Subject & Meaning
The composition abstracts architectural and mechanical motifs into interlocking planes, suggesting a constructed space rather than a representational scene. By emphasizing form over narrative, the painting invites viewers to contemplate the underlying order of modern life and the possibilities of visual construction.
Technique & Style
Rendered in oil, the piece employs a limited palette and sharp, intersecting lines that recall both Cubo‑Futurist dynamism and Constructivist emphasis on materiality. Ekster’s brushwork balances flat color fields with subtle tonal modulation, reinforcing the illusion of depth within an otherwise planar arrangement.
History & Provenance
Created during Ekster’s Paris period after her earlier activity in Kiev, *Construction* entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection as part of its mid‑20th‑century acquisitions of avant‑garde works. The painting’s provenance traces back to the artist’s own estate before its donation to the museum.
Context
Ekster operated within a network of artists linked to the Russian and Ukrainian avant‑garde, intersecting with figures such as Picasso and Braque who were also exploring abstraction. *Construction* thus reflects the cross‑currents of Cubo‑Futurism, Constructivism, and broader modernist experiments that defined early twentieth‑century visual art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Aleksandra Aleksandrovna Ekster (née Grigorovich; Russian: Алекса́ндра Алекса́ндровна Эксте́р; Ukrainian: Олекса́ндра Олекса́ндрівна Е́кстер; 18 January 1882 – 17 March 1949), also known as Alexandra Exter, was a Russian and French painter…
