Senza titolo (Untitled)
Jannis Kounellis
(Italian (born in Greece), 1936–2017)
1997
Medium/TechniqueSteel beam with two leather shoes
Dimensions82 11/16 x 4 5/16 x 3 9/16 inches (210 x 11 x 9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Joyce Linde in loving memory of Edward H. Linde
Accession number2011.95
On View
On viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
Kounellis transforms ordinary objects into poetic metaphors of loss and searching. This I-beam pressed into his own shoes can be read in numerous ways: as a crucifixion, a symbol of abandonment and reconstruction, and most powerfully, as an abstracted self-portrait. Kounellis breaks down boundaries between art and life, fusing materials and meaning.
ProvenanceKoenig Gallery, Germany; December 2007, sold by Koenig to Edward and Joyce Linde, Weston, MA at the Basel Art Fair; 2011, gift of Joyce Linde to the MFA. (Accession date: March 23, 2011)
Jannis Kounellis
1982
18th century
18th century
18th century
18th century
