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Alfonso Ossorio, Number IV, from Initiatory Paintings, 1951 (after)1951
1951
$716
$89520% Off
£555.61
£694.5120% Off
€627.32
€784.1520% Off
CA$1,024.53
CA$1,280.6620% Off
A$1,117.95
A$1,397.4420% Off
CHF 578.39
CHF 722.9920% Off
MX$13,374.02
MX$16,717.5320% Off
NOK 7,306.46
NOK 9,133.0820% Off
SEK 6,860.65
SEK 8,575.8220% Off
DKK 4,684.97
DKK 5,856.2120% Off
About the Item
This exquisite collotype after Alfonso Ossorio (1916–1990), titled Peinture initiatique IV (Initiatory Painting IV), from the album Peintures initiatiques d'Alfonso Ossorio (Initiatory Paintings of Alfonso Ossorio), originates from the 1951 edition published and printed by La Pierre Volante, Paris. This refined work reflects Ossorio’s synthesis of Surrealism and spiritual abstraction, uniting organic form and sacred geometry in a symbolic visual language that bridges mysticism and modernism. Through delicate line and chromatic restraint, Ossorio transforms introspective vision into sacred rhythm, echoing the metaphysical energy that defines his oeuvre.
Executed as a collotype on gloss velin Johannot paper, archivally hinged on velin paper, as issued, this work measures 10.83 x 8.86 inches. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. The edition demonstrates the masterful production of La Pierre Volante and the enduring craftsmanship associated with postwar Parisian printmaking.
Artwork Details:
Artist: After Alfonso Ossorio (1916–1990)
Title: Peinture initiatique IV (Initiatory Painting IV), from the album Peintures initiatiques d'Alfonso Ossorio (Initiatory Paintings of Alfonso Ossorio)
Medium: Collotype on gloss velin Johannot paper, archivally hinged on velin paper, as issued
Dimensions: 10.83 x 8.86 inches (27.51 x 22.51 cm)
Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued
Date: 1951
Publisher: La Pierre Volante, Paris
Printer: La Pierre Volante, Paris
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the album Peintures initiatiques d'Alfonso Ossorio (Initiatory Paintings of Alfonso Ossorio), published and printed by La Pierre Volante, Paris, 1951
Notes:
Excerpted from the album, It was taken from this album thirty-six examples on velin d’Arches paper accompanied by a color lithograph of A. Ossorio, numbers from I to XXXVI; MCDXL examples on velin Johannot, numbered from I to MCDXL; sixty examples on velin Johannot, out of commerce.
About the Publication:
Peintures initiatiques d'Alfonso Ossorio (Initiatory Paintings of Alfonso Ossorio), published and printed by La Pierre Volante in Paris in 1951, stands among the most refined artist’s albums of the postwar era. This limited and meticulously executed series chronicles Ossorio’s mystical compositions that merge Surrealist invention with spiritual symbolism. Printed in collotype—a process prized for its tonal precision and depth—the album exemplifies the mid-century French devotion to artisanal printing and intellectual artistry. Combining Ossorio’s transcendental vision with La Pierre Volante’s technical mastery, the publication reflects the era’s synthesis of art, philosophy, and craftsmanship, preserving one of the artist’s most significant visual meditations on initiation, faith, and transformation.
About the Artist:
Alfonso Ossorio (1916–1990) was a Filipino-American painter, draftsman, and assemblage artist whose daring fusion of Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and spirituality made him one of the most visionary and distinctive figures in 20th-century art. Born in Manila into a devoutly Catholic family of Spanish descent, Ossorio was educated in England and at Harvard University, where his dual interests in art and science shaped his fascination with the human condition and the metaphysical. After moving to New York in the 1940s, he became a central figure in the postwar avant-garde, forming close friendships with Jackson Pollock, Jean Dubuffet, and Clyfford Still, while engaging in dialogue with modern masters such as Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray. His early paintings reflected both the Surrealist interest in dreams and symbolism and the emotional intensity of Abstract Expressionism, blending Catholic iconography with psychological depth and a bold, experimental approach to color and form. In the 1950s, Ossorio developed his most celebrated works—the Congregations—large-scale mixed-media assemblages made from found materials such as shells, bones, glass, driftwood, and resin, arranged into intricate, almost sacred compositions that combined the chaos of nature with the order of divine design. Created at his East Hampton estate, “The Creeks,” these works represented his belief that art was a living expression of spiritual energy and became precursors to later developments in assemblage, installation, and conceptual art. Ossorio’s unique synthesis of mysticism and modernism bridged the spiritual explorations of Surrealism with the expressive freedom of Abstract Expressionism, influencing generations of artists including Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, and Joseph Cornell. A passionate collector and patron, Ossorio also introduced American audiences to Jean Dubuffet’s Art Brut while maintaining one of the most important private collections of contemporary art in mid-century America. His works, held in major institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Centre Pompidou, are celebrated for their radiance, complexity, and spiritual depth. Like his peers Picasso, Calder, Giacometti, Dali, Miro, Kandinsky, Duchamp, and Man Ray, Ossorio transcended stylistic boundaries to create a visual language of profound emotion and cosmic unity. The highest auction record for Alfonso Ossorio was achieved with Composition, which sold for 275,000 USD at Christie’s, New York, on May 17, 2018, confirming his enduring legacy as one of the most innovative and spiritually profound artists of the 20th century.
Alfonso Ossorio Peinture initiatique IV Initiatory Painting IV Peintures initiatiques d'Alfonso Ossorio Initiatory Paintings of Alfonso Ossorio La Pierre Volante Paris 1951 collotype Surrealism Abstract Expressionism.
- Creation Year:1951
- Dimensions:Height: 10.83 in (27.51 cm)Width: 8.86 in (22.51 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- After:Alfonso Ossorio (1916, Filipino, American)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Southampton, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1465216863452
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