ALFONSO A. OSSORIO | 3 COUPLES

Private Collection, Long Island (acquired from the artist by the present owner in 1989)

“The impetus is definitely an idea. Not always a verbal idea; many times it’s a visual idea; there’s a relationship. But then immediately it involves the total human being."

- Alfonso Ossorio

Philippine-born Alfonso Ossorio emerged as a prominent figure among a group of artists working in New York including Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning and Barnett Newman. Ossorio fused elements of Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and Art Brut with an array of materials and techniques. Over the years, Ossorio’s studio and home in East Hampton, New York became a central hub for the art scene. The Hamptons also provided the artist access to an immense range of natural materials from seashells to deer antlers, found objects that would become the foundation of his iconic assemblages referred to as congregations. In 3 Couples, one can see Ossorio’s involvement in Abstract Expressionism. Yet, there is a more measured quality to the work that suggests other influences as well. Indeed, Ossorio cited Surrealist painter and sculptor Victor Brauner as an influence in his initial exploration of the painting process which Ossorio developed into his own.