Graphic Rhythm with Airplane (Homage to Blériot)

1914

Carlo Carrà

Associated Names
Carlo Carrà

Artist, Italian, 1881 - 1966

The image displays an arrangement of words and letters forming various shapes and lines, creating an abstract composition with swirling patterns and directional curves. The manipulated text suggests familiar objects, with tighter circles and curves evoking spiraling forms resembling trails or paths. The words mimic the dynamics of flight and flow across the page. Some letters and words hint at elements from mechanical designs or artistic patterns. The piece blends text with design, offering visual intrigue and a connection to the mechanical and animated world.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and ink with graphite and collage on graph paper

  • Credit Line

    Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 39.5 x 27.7 cm (15 9/16 x 10 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2004.62.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist's son, Massimo Carrà, Milan; Maître René-Jean Ullmann, Paris; private collection, Paris; (Rachel Adler Fine Art, New York) to Merrill C. Berman, New York, 1997; NGA purchase (via Ubu Gallery, New York), 2004.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1977

  • Carlo Carrà. Galleria civica d'arte moderna, Ferrara, 1977, no. 93.

1986

  • Futurismo & Futurismi. Palazzo Grassi, Venice, 1986, p. 164-165.

1990

  • Art & Publicité 1890-1990. Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1990-1991, repro. p. 197.

2004

  • Avant-Gardes: Selections from the Merrill C. Berman Collection. Ubu Gallery, New York, 2004, p. 54-55.

  • Six Centuries of Prints and Drawings: Recent Acquisitions. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2004 - 2005

2007

  • Modernism: Designing a New World 1914-1939. The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 17 March 2007 - 29 July 2007.

2014

  • From Neoclassicism to Futurism: Italian Prints and Drawings, 1800- 1925. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2014 - 2015.

Bibliography

1977

  • Russoli, Franco and Massimo Carrà. Carrà Disegni. Bologna, 1977: no. 102, repro. 161.

1978

  • Carrà, Massimo. Carlo Carrà, Tutti gli scritti. Milan, 1978: repro. 33.

2003

  • Fergonzi, Flavio. The Mattioli Collection: Masterpieces of the Italian Avant-garde. (Lewis Kachur entry on Carlo Carrà, "Interventionist Demonstration..."). Milan and New York, 2003: 210, fig. 8h.

Wikidata ID

Q64538063

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