Untitled

Untitled — Lucio Fontana. c. 1964.

Medium: Graphite on torn and punctured white wove paper, over aluminum foil tipped to cream board. Dimensions: Primary support: 50.3 × 60 cm (19 13/16 × 23 5/8 in.); Secondary support: 50.2 × 60.2 cm (19 13/16 × 23 3/4 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

This work by Lucio Fontana articulates his interest in expanding the spatial boundaries of the two-dimensional picture surface. The torn and scratched paper suggests the violent acts found in Christian iconography, such as the Crucifixion. Such acts of aggression and self-laceration echo certain artistic trends, namely painterly abstraction, Dada, and Surrealism. Although the gouged paper speaks to the sculptural potential of the picture surface, the perforations can also be read as rhythmic patterns and as objects in space.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.