The artwork titled “The Family,” created by Marisol Escobar in 1962, is a significant piece rendering a sculptural representation of a family. Crafted from wood, this work is an embodiment of the Neo-Dada art movement and is classified as a sculpture. The piece is housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) located in New York City, NY, US, where it contributes to the museum’s diverse collection of influential modern art.
“The Family” by Marisol Escobar reveals a group of five figures that appear to form a family unit, standing side by side and fixed against a backdrop of ornamental wood panels. The figures are carved with a degree of abstraction, while still maintaining distinct human-like features, hinting at the individuality of each member. Their faces and clothing are painted with simplistic yet expressive strokes, conveying a sense of personality and life. The frontal, frieze-like arrangement of the figures, combined with their flat, two-dimensional appearance, gives the sculpture a totemic quality, evoking associations with both traditional public monuments and personal familial connections.
The work’s exploration of form, material, and theme demonstrates Escobar’s engagement with the Neo-Dada movement’s emphasis on blurring the boundaries between art and life, as well as challenging traditional artistic conventions. In “The Family,” there’s a tangible sense of narrative encapsulated within the wooden figures, as if each character holds its own story that contributes to the collective history of the family they represent. This sculpture stands as a potent example of how Escobar utilized her medium to dissect and portray complex social relationships through the lens of contemporary art.
