Curator

  • Art Institute Chicago
  • Harvard art museum
  • My Exhibition
A work made of graphite on ivory wove paper.

Untitled

1969

Karl Wirsum American, 1939-2021

United States

A talented draftsman, Wirsum has said that he never draws directly from the figure, though he does draw from life. The artist’s powerful visual memory allows him to construct bizarre images such as this female-like form whose disproportionate body is rendered both comedic and threatening. Foreshortened so that we view her from below, Wirsum’s figure appears to come from a nightmarish circus of the mind.

Graphite on ivory wove paper

Prints and Drawings

Chicago Artists