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Antigrazioso by Umberto Boccioni

Antigrazioso, also known as L'antigrazioso or The Mother (La madre), is a patinated gesso sculpture by Umberto Boccioni made between 1912 and 1913. It is one of the few surviving examples of Boccioni’s Futurist sculptures from this period and was exhibited at the Galerie 23 in Paris in 1913. The work represents the Futurist decomposition of the face of the artist’s beloved mother, who also appears in the 1913 painting Materia. A painting by Boccioni with the same title, Antigrazioso, was also created in 1913 with a different setting. The sculpture is now in the Galleria nazionale d'arte moderna e contemporanea in Rome.

L\'antigrazioso, a bronze-toned abstract bust with angular fragmented forms and a distorted face.
L\'antigrazioso by Umberto Boccioni, shown as a dynamic abstract bust with swirling, angular planes.
April 2019 © · Public domain
L\'antigrazioso, a bronze-toned abstract fragmented head in profile with angular and swirling forms.
L\'antigrazioso by Umberto Boccioni, shown here as a textured abstract head in profile.
© · CC BY-SA 4.0
L\'antigrazioso shown as a fragmented angular bust in profile on a slatted base.
L\'antigrazioso by Umberto Boccioni, shown here as a sharply faceted bust in profile.
© · CC BY-SA 4.0
L\'antigrazioso bust with fragmented, distorted facial features on a dark slatted base.
L\'antigrazioso by Umberto Boccioni, shown in a black-and-white photograph with its sharply angled, fragmented forms.
© · CC BY-SA 4.0
L\'antigrazioso, a dark textured abstract bust sculpture on a wooden base and pedestal.
L\'antigrazioso by Umberto Boccioni, shown here as a dark abstract bust on a wooden base.
© · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleAntigrazioso
Alternative titleL'antigrazioso
Also known asThe Mother (La madre)
TypeBust

Historical context

Date made1912–1913
Art movementFuturist

Creator

ArtistUmberto Boccioni

Materials

MaterialPatinated plaster

Appearance

Stylistic resemblanceSimilar to Unique Forms of Continuity in Space
DescriptionA bust

Iconography and meaning

Related paintingMateria (1913), in which the mother's face is also depicted
Related work by the artistA 1913 painting also titled Antigrazioso, with a different composition
Depicted subjectThe Futurist decomposition of the artist's mother's face

Location and ownership

Current locationGalleria nazionale d'arte moderna e contemporanea, Rome
Exhibited atGalerie 23, Paris
Exhibition date1913

Significance

SignificanceOne of the few surviving examples of Boccioni's Futurist sculptures made in 1912–1913