Under the direction of Cecilia De Torres
Assisted by Susanna V. Temkin, Madeline Murphy Turner, and Victoria L. Fedrigotti
Catalogue Entry
1931.63 (estate: 628)
Constructif dédié a Manolita
Alternate title: Constructif dédié a Manolita (Constructive Dedicated to Manolita)
c.1931
Oil on cardboard
17 1/2 x 13 3/4 in. (44.5 x 34.9 cm)
Neither signed nor dated
This painting is a portrait of the artist's wife, Manolita. Torres-García chose to portray her in a constructive painting with symbols that relate to her personality. Next to her name he wrote: ‘nature, liberté, équilibre, science,’ her interests and most salient qualities. Above all, balance (équilibre), is written across the drawing of a scale to underscore her even-tempered nature and fairness.
Private collection, Uruguay
Provenance
Estate of Augusto Torres
Private collection, Uruguay
Exhibitions
The University of Texas at Austin, Archer M. Huntington Galleries, Texas, Joaquín Torres-García, 1874-1949: Chronology and Catalogue of the Family Collection, October 13–November 24, 1974, no. 62*, Listed as number 25 in Caracas exhibition catalogue. Traveled to: Fundación Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas, Venezuela, January 13–February 26, 1975; Galería INC, Museo de Arte Italiano, Lima, Peru, August 22–September 1975.
Museo Torres García, Montevideo, Uruguay, Universalismo Constructivo: Joaquín Torres García, Óleos, Maderas y Dibujos, July 28–December 15, 2004, no. 7, ill., p. 33.
Fundación Antonio Saura Casa Zavala, Cuenca, Spain, Universalismo Constructivo, October 2, 2009–January 10, 2010, ill., p. 79. Traveled to: Museo Torres García, Montevideo, 2013.
Ibere Camargo Foundation, Porto Alegre, Brazil, Joaquín Torres García: geometría, criação, proporção, September 10–November 20, 2011, ill., p. 131. Traveled to: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil, December 3, 2011–February 26, 2012.
Galería de las Misiones, Montevideo, Uruguay, Taller Torres García: La Constelación del Sur, January 2015, ill., p. 123.
Ortuzar Projects, New York, Joaquín Torres-García: Toys, January 27–March 12, 2022, as Constructif dédié a Manolita (Constructive Dedicated to Manolita).
Published References
Gradowczyk, Mario H. Torres-García: Utopía y Transgresión. Montevideo: Fundación Torres-García, 2007. Exhibition catalogue, ill. p. 180, no. 6.7
Torres-García, Traços de Nova York. Rio de Janeiro, 2010. Exhibition catalogue (2010 Caixa Cultural), ill. p. 25, Dated 1930.
Record last updated July 14, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: de Torres, Cecilia, Susanna V. Temkin, Madeline Murphy Turner, and Victoria L. Fedrigotti. "Constructif dédié a Manolita, c.1931 (1931.63)." In Joaquín Torres-García Catalogue Raisonné. www.torresgarcia.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=1086 (accessed on April 21, 2025).