Eugenio Dittborn

Weakness Made it Happen (Airmail Painting No. 1)

1983

Gouache and stamp on paper and envelope with marker, pencil, ballpoint pen, stamps, and pressure-sensitive tape with stamps

Not on view

Created with pencil, gouache, and stamps on kraft paper, Dittborn's landmark Airmail paintings of the early 1980s were normally folded and mailed in large envelopes to various artistic venues. The creases in this work were created by the constant folding and unfolding of the large sheet of paper throughout its journey, underlining the physical quality of passing time. By repeating the icon of a house in each compartment, Dittborn highlights the concept of a transient place, where one is in constant arrival and departure.

Gallery label from

New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930–2006: Selections from a Decade of Acquisitions, November 21, 2007–February 25, 2008.

Medium Gouache and stamp on paper and envelope with marker, pencil, ballpoint pen, stamps, and pressure-sensitive tape with stamps
Dimensions 68 1/2 x 56 1/2" (174 x 143.5 cm)
Credit Transferred from The Museum of Modern Art Library/Franklin Furnace Artist's Book Collection
Object number 2.2004.a-b
Department Drawings and Prints

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