Maria Lai

Maria Lai
(1919–2013)

Works

Maria Lai
(b. 1919, Ulassai, Italy; d. 2013)

Oggetto paesaggio (Object-landscape, 1967)
Wood, acrylic, and string
92.5 × 75 × 85 cm
Archivio Maria Lai, Cardedu

Finestra sul telaio (Window on the loom, 1972)
Painted wood and string
62 × 120 × 20 cm
Private collection

Pagina (Page, 1979)
Canvas, thread, and wood
26 × 37 cm
Archivio Maria Lai, Cardedu

Legarsi alla montagna (To tie onself to the mountain, 1981)
Black-and-white photographs
41 × 33 cm and 33 × 41 cm (framed)
Photographs by Piero Berengo Gardin
Archivio Maria Lai, Cardedu

Lenzuolo (Bedsheet, 1981)
Thread on cotton canvas
124 × 213 cm
Fondazione di Sardegna, Cagliari

Geografia (Geography, 1986)
Velvet and thread
134 × 184 × 1.8 cm
MAN_Museo d'Arte della Provincia di Nuoro

Lenzuolo (Bedsheet, 1989)
Canvas, thread, and wood
130 × 230 cm
Archivio Maria Lai, Cardedu

Geografia (Geography, 1994)
Fabric and thread
160 × 250 × 2 cm
MAN_Museo d'Arte della Provincia di Nuoro

Fili di vela spaziale (Threads of spatial sail, 2007)
Thread, fabric, and wood
186 × 88 × 4.5 cm
Magazzino Italian Art, New York

A Gramsci (To Gramsci, 2008)
Fabric, thread, and felt-tip pen
111 × 81 cm
Archivio Maria Lai, Cardedu

Fili di geometrie (Thread of geometry, 2009)
Wood, fabric, and thread
74.5 × 138 × 6.5 cm
Collection of Isabella Bortolozzi

All works EMST—National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens

Tela cucita (Sewn canvas, 1975)
Cloth, wire, and acrylic 
115 × 70 × 2.5 cm
MAN_Museo d’Arte della Provincia di Nuoro

Figura ovale (Oval figure, 1953)
Watercolor on paper
72 × 59 cm
Archivio Maria Lai

Telaio (Loom, 1972) 
Wood, acrylic, canvas, and ice-cream scoop 
84 × 160 × 8 cm
Private collection

Ovile (Sheep pen, 1959) 
Oil on canvas 
50 × 70 cm
MAN_Museo d’Arte della Provincia di Nuoro

Donna che setaccia la farina (Woman sifting our, 1955)
Watercolor on paper
84.5 × 90 cm
Private collection

Le mandorle (Almonds, 1952)
Watercolor on paper
86 × 73 cm
Archivio Maria Lai

Libro beta (Beta book, 1979)
Bread dough and string
24 × 17 × 4 cm
Archivio Maria Lai

Libro E (E Book, 2008)
Bread dough and string
24 × 17 × 4 cm
Archivio Maria Lai

Libro L (L Book, 2008)
Bread dough and string
24 × 17 × 4 cm
Archivio Maria Lai

All works Neue Galerie, Kassel

Sardinian artist Maria Lai’s oeuvre is closely interwoven with literature and poetry, both formally and as related to content. Writer Salvatore Cambosu (1895–1962) was an important mentor and friend who was also influential to her work. She shared a close bond with him, not only in terms of literature but also to her homeland Sardinia—a land whose history and traditions were the subjects of their respective works. “Follow the rhythm” recommended Cambosu to Maria Lai, meaning harmony and scansion in poetry, which is reflected in her precise technique, the clear, occasionally edgy lines of her aquarelle and drawings, as well as in the sculptural objects made of textiles. It is this untiring exploration of the identity of Sardinian women that occupies Maria Lai and has defined the subjects of her work for over seventy years.

Posted in Public Exhibition

Works

Maria Lai (1919–2013)