Utan titel - ur serien Dam med telefon / Untitled - from the series Lady and a Telephone)

Assemblage is an artistic form (similar to the two-dimensional medium collage) usually created on a defined substrate that consists of three-dimensional elements projecting out of, or from, the substrate. Assemblage is part of the visual arts, and it typically uses found objects but is not, however, limited to these materials.

The origin of the art form dates to the cubist constructions of Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) c. 1912 – 1914, while the origin of the actual word itself (in its artistic sense) can be traced back to the early 1950s, when Jean Dubuffet (1901 – 1985) created a series of collages of butterfly wings, which he titled assemblages d’empreintes. However, Marcel Duchamp (1887 - 1968), Jean Arp (1886 – 1966), and others had been working with objet trouvé (found objects) for many years prior to Dubuffet. Russian artist Vladimir Tatlin (1885 – 1953) created his “counter-reliefs” in 1914. The earliest woman to try her hand at assemblage was Elsa Baroness von Freytag-Loringhoven (1874 – 1927, German-born avant-garde visual artist and poet, active in Greenwich Village, New York, 1913 - 1923, where her radical self-displays came to embody a living Dada. She was considered one of the most controversial and radical women artists of the era), the Dada Baroness. In Paris in the 1920s Alexander Calder (1898 – 1976), Pablo Picasso and others began making fully 3-dimensional works from metal scraps, found metal objects and wire. In the U.S., one of the earliest and most prolific assemblage artists was Louise Nevelson (1899 – 1988), who began creating her sculptures from found pieces of wood in the late 1930s.

In the 1950s and 1960s, assemblage started to become more widely known and used. Artists like Robert Rauschenberg (1925 – 2008) and Jasper Johns (born 1930) started using scrappy materials and objects to make anti-aesthetic art sculptures, a big part of the ideas that make assemblage what it is. The painter Armando Reverón (1889 – 1954, Venezuelan painter and sculptor, precursor of Arte Povera and considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century in Latin America) was one of the first to use this technique when using disposable materials such as bamboo, wires, or kraft paper. In the 30s he made a skeleton with wings of mucilage, adopting this style years before other artists. In 1961, the exhibition The Art of Assemblage was featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The exhibition showcased the work of early 20th century European artists such as Georges Braque (1882 – 1963), Jean Dubuffet, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso and Kurt Schwitters (1887 – 1948), alongside Americans like Man Ray (1890 – 1976), Joseph Cornell (1903 – 1972) and Robert Rauschenberg.

Marie-Louise Ekman created several works relating to this technique in the late 1960s. An early example is found in Mimmi ser mat / Minnie sees food (1967, assemblage/mixed media in acrylic glass box, 25 x 12 x 12 cm), where a miniature plastic figure of Disney’s legendary character overlooks a table laden with food. Ekman has continued working with these quirky and humorous doll’s house interiors where tiny figures make up various, more or less surrealistic, everyday scenes, meticulously arranged in acrylic glass boxes, bell jars or sardine tins.

Ekman uses a variety of materials in her assemblages and collages, creating a rich and complex visual experience. She often combines traditional art supplies (such as paint and canvas) with unconventional objects (such as toy miniatures), giving her work a tactile and three-dimensional quality. Her style is experimental and transgressive, with influences from different artistic traditions, making her work feel both contemporary and timeless. Ekman’s collages and assemblages often tell stories, or capture moments, inviting the viewer to explore the different layers of meaning. Her work can be seen as a commentary on modern life and the human experience. Many of her works deal with psychological themes, giving them a deeper resonance. She is able to use symbolism and metaphors to express complex emotions and relationships. Many of her works are also characterised by playfulness and humour. It’s not uncommon for Ekman to use ironic elements that challenge the viewer’s expectations and norms, creating a deeper reflection on topics such as identity, gender and culture. Ekman is also known for exploring feminist themes in her work, often by questioning traditional gender roles and norms. Her work thus invites discussions about femininity and identity.

Signed and dated ‘M.L De Geer Bergenstråhle 1973’.

Provenance

Stockholms Auktionsverk, Stockholm, Modern & Contemporary, 19 November 2024, lot 304.

Firestorm Foundation (acquired at the above sale).

Literature

(Ed.) Maria Lind, Marie-Louise Ekman, 1998, compare four other, similar, works from the same series illustrated full page in colour.

Copyright Firestorm Foundation