Grilo established herself as one of the leading abstract painters of the Buenos Aires art scene during the 1950s, moving to New York in 1962. During her decade-long stay in the city, the artist incorporated imagery from the urban landscape—signs, billboards, torn posters, newspaper headlines, and graffiti— in her work. “Here I find everything I need for my painting,” she wrote. “Things are constantly happening that can be incorporated as abstractions; all you have to do is to look out the window or walk down the street.” This canvas’s letter fragments, numbers, calligraphic elements, and loose scribbles echo the noise and visual stimuli of the bustling metropolis.

Gallery label from

2023

Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 59 13/16 x 59 13/16" (152 x 152 cm)
Credit Latin American and Caribbean Fund
Object number 4.2016
Department Painting & Sculpture

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Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of creating handwritten text using highly stylized lettering. Its historical origins span millennia and many regions of the world, including East Asia, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and North Africa.

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