Wallace Berman (Untitled, but often known as "Faceless Faces") 1963

 

A work by Wallace Berman, sometimes called "Faceless Faces" but not by him. He (very) rarely titled his artwork. The work is owned by MOCA in Los Angeles. Once the museum is open, you can see the work. From their press release: "Interested in chance and spiritual mysticism, Wallace Berman made work rooted in metaphorical explorations. Between 1963 and 1976, he created a series of collages using the Verifax, an early copy machine, to alter found images and reproduce them in mesmerizing duotone grids. Untitled (Faceless Faces) is a grid of photographs of formally dressed couples posing for the camera. Run through the Verifax machine, the resulting reproductions of these photographs were wet, allowing the artist to smudge or erase the faces and identities of the figures. In the resulting collage, the couples have a ghostly presence, their countenances eerily faded and obscured."

1963

Frame: 31 1/8 x 31 1/8 x 1 1/2 in. (79.1 x 79.1 x 3.8 cm)31 1/8 x 31 1/8 x 1 1/2 in. (79.06 x 79.06 x 3.81 cm)

Image: 29 3/4 x 29 3/4 in. (75.57 x 75.57 cm)

CREDIT

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Gift of Lannan Foundation