Sacco (Sack)
1955
Burri, once a doctor in the Italian army, made his first paintings in 1943 when he was a prisoner of war in a Texas camp. Discarded burlap sacks were the most plentiful fabric on which to work, a humble material which became a hallmark of his practice. The torn and sutured fabric, combined with charring and homely materials like cardboard, also evoke the destruction he returned to in postwar Italy.
Burlap, cardboard, muslin, and paint
35 1/2 x 28 1/4 in. (90.17 x 71.76 cm)
Gift of Hester Diamond in memory of Alberto Burri
95.134
Provenance: Collection of the artist; collection of Hester Diamond, New York, New York, to 1995; gift from Mrs. Diamond to Seattle Art Museum, December 19, 1995
Photo: Susan A. Cole