UNTITLED | MARISA MERZ

The practice of Marisa Merz (Turin, 1926-2019), a multidisciplinary artist and exponent of the Italian Arte Povera movement, is built upon experimentation and research on materials combined with an essential projectuality.
What characterizes Marisa Merz’s style the most is the introduction of everyday objects typically used by women – or at least attributable to the feminine universe – into the language of contemporary sculpture, thus distancing herself from the common rational and self-referential structures of the era of her beginning.

Her poetic is a constant counterpoint between the private and public dimensions, finding a center of interest in the representation of the human face, which appears in her sculptural artworks, but also in the paintings or in the stroke of drawing. Marisa Merz uses combinations of different techniques and materials, thus formalizing her experimental nature.

Untitled is a work without a title or date, a timeless piece that, perhaps for this very reason, is able to effectively summarize what the artist’s practice was.
A layering of sheets with different weights and tones makes up the base of the artwork. On the surface of these sheets appear brushstrokes of acrylic colors, as well as lines and strokes made with charcoal. The only vaguely recognizable figure is the profile of a human face.
Finally, thick grids composed of thin copper wires embellish the work with a material value.
To fix the various elements together, simple and mundane round pins – white, red, green, and yellow – have been applied. These small objects bring the artwork back to a context of manual work and daily life.

Untitled thus presents itself as a heterogeneous and multidisciplinary work, raw and captivating at the same time, completely ignoring pre-established canons and structures, preferring instead an experimental style, just like the approach of the great artist who created it.

Marisa Merz
Untitled, undated
Acrylic, charcoal, and copper wire on paper mounted on wood, 54.93 x 50.8 cm (21.625 in x 20 in)
Marisa Merz © SIAE
Courtesy Fondazione Merz and Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland
Photo: David Regen

30/03/24