Abstract, Op. 91 (The Firebird) Artist: Thomas Wilfred (American, 1889–1968)

1934

American Paintings and Sculpture

Not on view

Abstract, Op. 91 (The Firebird), Wilfred’s only static work among his small-scale lumia, features a shadowed form that suggests a bird, its triangular beak silhouetted against a spotlighted area of ultramarine blue. Arching diagonally downward from the beak, a gentle contour delineates the bird’s body and feathers, from which radiate vibrant red, orange, and yellow light. The palette echoes the color scheme of the original costume for the Firebird, the main character in the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s famous ballet of the same title, which debuted in Paris in 1910. Wilfred, who was then studying art at the Sorbonne, might have seen the performance.

Medium

Metal, glass, gel filters, electrical and lighting elements, and a frosted-glass screen in a wood cabinet

Dimensions

35 1/2 × 41 × 10 1/4 in. (90.2 × 104.1 × 26 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Thomas C. Wilfred

Accession Number

1983.66.2

Geography

Made in New York, United States

Culture

American

Period

20th century

Classification

Sculpture

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Bibliography
  • Keely Orgeman et al., Lumia: Thomas Wilfred and the Art of Light, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2017), 111, pl. 5, ill
  • Lisa R. Brody et al., "Painting with Light," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2010), 119–21, fig. 2–3
Object copyright
Copyright Estate of Thomas Wilfred
In Copyright
Additional information

Object/Work type

utilitarian objects

Subject

birds (animals)

Inscriptions

Inscribed in chalk upper right rear: ABSTRACT, OP 91; lower right rear: MAKE BASE / 35 1/2 in. HIGH!; lower left: 150W.

Signed

and dated on back: July 23, 1934 Thomas Wilfred

Technical metadata and APIs

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Open in Mirador

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