Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a marble painting by Alfonso Ossorio. It dates from 1969 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1969, this untitled work by Alfonso Ossorio merges painting with three‑dimensional assemblage. Constructed on plastic sheets affixed to a wooden support, it incorporates a dense array of objects—glass and plastic marbles, West African wooden figures, bone fragments, shells, metal nails, a sword, and assorted found materials—forming a visually complex field of color and texture.
Subject & Meaning
The composition juxtaposes organic remnants such as animal claws, bones, and seashells with manufactured items like plastic scraps and faux pearls, suggesting a dialogue between natural decay and human fabrication. By arranging these disparate elements around a central red disc edged with a gold ring, Ossorio invites contemplation of mortality, cultural hybridity, and the alchemical transformation of everyday detritus into artistic form.
Technique & Style
Ossorio employs an assemblage approach rooted in abstract expressionism, layering heterogeneous materials onto a flat substrate.
Ossorio employs an assemblage approach rooted in abstract expressionism, layering heterogeneous materials onto a flat substrate. The work’s surface is punctuated by vivid pigments—reds, greens, blues—applied both as paint and as colored objects, while the inclusion of glass eyes, dominoes, and a bell adds tactile contrast. This mixed‑media strategy blurs the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and collage.
History & Provenance
Born in Manila in 1916 to a multicultural family, Ossorio studied in England before pursuing fine‑art training at Harvard and the Rhode Island School of Design. After establishing a reputation for combining abstract expressionist gestures with assemblage, he produced this piece in the late 1960s. The artwork entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it remains on view.
Context
The work reflects the broader 1960s interest in incorporating found objects and non‑Western artifacts into avant‑garde art, aligning Ossorio with contemporaries who explored cultural hybridity and material excess. Its eclectic materiality anticipates later installation practices and continues to inform discussions of cross‑cultural appropriation and the role of assemblage in post‑modern artistic discourse.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alfonso Angel Yangco Ossorio (August 2, 1916 – December 5, 1990) was a Filipino American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Manila in 1916 to wealthy Filipino parents from the province of Negros Occidental.
