Object with Number 1

Joaquín Torres-García is a critical figure in the history of modern Latin American art, celebrated for his introduction of Constructivist aesthetics as a natural, indigenous language. In 1926 he settled in Paris, where he formulated the key principles of what he called Constructive Universalism. His maderas (wood pieces) ran counter to the prevailing notions of sculpture as well as abstraction at the time but played an important role in his work. Object with Number 1 suggests both an architectural and human form; indeed, the number 1 painted at the top reflects his theories about the unity of the individual and the cosmos.