Untitled
Yves Tanguy
American, born France. 1900–1955
1940
A narrow pencil-on-paper drawing in which Yves Tanguy renders a tall, biomorphic, almost-architectural figure that attempts to make the unconscious legible through spare, automatic line.
You notice a vertical assembly of smooth, ambiguous shapes outlined in delicate graphite—an elongated torso and limb-like forms punctuated by small, ringed orbs that float like miniature planets, giving the silhouette an eerie, dreamlike calm.
Created during Surrealism’s peak, the drawing exemplifies Tanguy’s translation of subconscious imagery into precise, ambiguous forms and helped pave the way for mid‑century biomorphic abstraction and the visual language of modern fantasy.
Medium
Pencil on paper
Dimensions
10 5/8 x 4 1/4" (27 x 11 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Kay Sage Tanguy Bequest
Accession
444.1963
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
