Untitled
Artist
Alexander "Skunder" Boghossian
(Ethiopian, 1937 - 2003)
CultureEthiopian
Date1966
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions24 × 19 3/4 × 1 in. (61 × 50.2 × 2.5 cm)
Overall, Frame: 26 1/8 × 22 × 2 1/8 in. (66.4 × 55.9 × 5.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 26 1/8 × 22 × 2 1/8 in. (66.4 × 55.9 × 5.4 cm)
SignedLower right corner: “Skunder 66”
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2020.32
Not on view
DescriptionThis is an abstract oil painting on canvas. The painting is dominated by different tones of blue and green, and punctuated with lines and blocks of white, creating shapes that seem to flow into each other. Though there is no clear content, the work relates to the artist’s early style of creating almost biomorphic forms within his abstractions.Label TextAlexander “Skunder” Boghossian Ethiopian, 1937–2003 Untitled, 1966 Oil on canvas Chrysler Museum of Art, Museum purchase 2020.32 Alexander “Skunder” Boghossian is considered a pioneer in the modernist art movement in Ethiopia. His paintings reflect his numerous interests: Ethiopian history, the Coptic Church, music, Surrealism, African iconography, and a shared connection between Africans and their African American counterparts in the United States. He traveled and studied in England and France, including at St. Martins School of Art and the Académie de la Grand Chaumière, among others, before eventually settling in Washington, D.C., in 1972. Similarly to Ibrahim El Salahi, Boghossian was involved in developing modernist art practices in his country by blending his Western training with African imagery and inspiration. His work was the focus of an exhibition at the Mbari Club in Ibadan in July 1963. ProvenanceUnknown London gallery to private London collection. Private collection to auction via Bonhams London. Purchased from Bonhams by the Chrysler Museum, October 8, 2020 (sale 26277, lot 14).Exhibition History"Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club,” Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 7, 2022 - January 8, 2023; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, February 10 - May 7, 2023; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, June 3 - September 3, 2023. "Sankofa: Constructing Modern African Art," Hampton University Museum, Hampton, VA, fall 2024 - spring 2025.
