Who painted Abstract Solids and Hollows of a Head?

Abstract Solids and Hollows of a Head was painted by Umberto Boccioni.

Where can I see Abstract Solids and Hollows of a Head?

Abstract Solids and Hollows of a Head is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

Artwork

Abstract Solids and Hollows of a Head

Abstract Solids and Hollows of a Head is a photographic photography by Umberto Boccioni. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

The work is a black‑and‑white photograph mounted on green card, showing Umberto Boccioni’s 1920 sculptural study titled *Abstract Solids and Hollows of a Head*. The image captures a stylised head composed of intersecting planes and curving hair, rendered as if hewn from a single block of material.

Subject & Meaning

The sculpted head presents a fragmented visage where sharp, flat surfaces suggest the solid mass of a face, while the surrounding hair flows in smooth, swirling curves. The juxtaposition of geometric neck and shoulders with the organic hair explores the tension between structural rigidity and fluid movement.

Technique & Style

Boccioni’s approach reduces the human form to abstracted geometric volumes, emphasizing planes that interlock like a puzzle. The sculpture’s surface alternates between angular protrusions and recessed hollows, creating a sense of depth through contrast rather than realistic modeling.

History & Provenance

The photograph entered the Archive of Art and Design as part of the William Kineton Parkes collection, bequeathed in 1938. Parkes, an art historian and librarian, had solicited images from contemporary sculptors in the 1920s; this picture was among the responses he received.

Artist & collection

Artist

Umberto Boccioni

Umberto Boccioni was an influential Italian painter and sculptor. He helped shape the revolutionary aesthetic of the Futurism movement as one of its principal figures. Despite his short life, his approach to the…