Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt). Square Reticularea 71/11

Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt)

Square Reticularea 71/11

1971

Stainless steel, copper, lead, and plastic

Not on view

In 1969 Gego coined the term reticuláreas for works that imbued her earlier graphite drawings with material and dimensional form. Fabricated by knotting lengths of wire into pliable, planar structures, these large-scale lattices are reminiscent of nets and weavings. Rejecting the designation of sculpture, she instead courted affinities with textiles—here specifically with cloth that drapes in stiff folds as it hangs freely in space.

Gallery label from

Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction, April 20–September 13, 2025

Medium Stainless steel, copper, lead, and plastic
Dimensions 80 11/16 x 55 1/8 x 21 5/8" (205 x 140 x 55 cm)
Credit Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros through the Latin American and Caribbean Fund in honor of Alexis Lowry
Object number 814.2016
Department Painting & Sculpture

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Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt)

Venezuelan, born Germany. 1912–1994 74 works online

###Leer en español Figura emblemática de la abstracción en las décadas de 1960 y 1970 en Venezuela, Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt) nació en 1912 en Hamburgo, Alemania, y en 1938 se graduó en ingeniería y arquitectura en la Universidad de Stuttgart.

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Provenance

1971, Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt)
[1973, Galería Conkright, Caracas]
Nancy L. and Frank H. Porter, Cleveland, Ohio
2005 - 2016, Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, New York, and Caracas, purchased through Sotheby's, New York, Latin American Art, Sale N08131, lot 50, November 17, 2005
2016 / 2018, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired as a gift from Patricia Phelps de Cisneros

Exhibition history

Caracas, Galería Conkright, "Gego. Esculturas", October 1971

Caracas, Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas, "Las Artes Plásticas en Venezuela" (1era. exposición), March 19 - April 19, 1972

Caracas, Museo de Bellas Artes, "Gego 1955-1990", November 2000 - April 2001

Mexico City, Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, "Cruce de Miradas. Visiones de América Latina en la Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros", August 2 - October 21, 2006

Austin, Blanton Museum of Art, "The Geometry of Hope. Latin american abstract art from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros", February 20 - April 22, 2007 and tour:
New York, Grey Art Gallery, September 12 - December 8, 2007

Stockholm, Moderna Museet, "Concrete Matters", February 24 - May 13, 2018

MoMA Exh. #2424: "Sur moderno: Journeys of Abstraction—The Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Gift", 3rd Floor, 3 East, October 21, 2019 - September 12, 2020

MoMA Exh. #2451: “Collection: 1940s-1970s”, 4th Floor, gallery 413, “Touching the Void”, November 14, 2020 - removed January 9, 2023

New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, "Gego", March 31 - September 12, 2023

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