The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Untitled

Untitled

c. 1939
(French, 1900–1955)
Sheet: 31.9 x 24.6 cm (12 9/16 x 9 11/16 in.); Secondary Support: 44.6 x 36.6 cm (17 9/16 x 14 7/16 in.)
© Estate of Yves Tanguy / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This drawing was made around the time that Yves Tanguy fled Europe for the United States, in November 1939, following the outbreak of World War II.

Description

Yves Tanguy developed an interest in the surrealist movement during the early decades of the 20th century, creating vague but evocative and meticulously rendered images that suggested dreams and the subconscious. Using smoothly applied color, Tanguy painted enigmatic biomorphic forms that often suggest human or animal figures and cast dramatic shadows throughout the composition. These shapes are found in the present drawing, within a sparse setting. The gray background tones suggest underwater depths, and could relate to the artist's experience in the Merchant Navy during World War I.
  • probably 1939-?
    Jeanne Bucher, Paris
    ?-?
    (possibly Galerie Jeanne Bucher, Paris, probably sold to Lockwood Thompson)
    by 1979-1992
    Lockwood Thompson [1901-1992], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1992-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lawrence, Michael G. Surrealism in Perspective. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1979. Mentioned: p. 34
    "Catalogue." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 1 (January 1993): 65-73. Mentioned: p. 75, no. 317
    DeGrazia, Diane, and Carter E. Foster. Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Mentioned: p. 11, pp. 262-263, 298; Reproduced: p. 263
  • Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 27-October 17, 2000); The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (May 23-August 19, 2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (October 14, 2001-January 6, 2002).
    French Drawings from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 13, 1994-March 12, 1995).
    Selected Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 9-April 11, 1993).
    Surrealism in Perspective. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 3, 1979-January 6, 1980).
    Surrealism in Perspective. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 3, 1979 - January 6, 1980).
    Contemporary Drawings. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 13 - August 3, 1975).
    Possibly included.
    Exposition Yves Tanguy. Galerie Jeanne Bucher-Myrbor, Paris (May 17 - May 30, 1938).
  • {{cite web|title=Untitled|url=false|author=Yves Tanguy|year=c. 1939|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.283