abstract image with collage elements; central area with diagonal stripes in various directions in red, green, yellow, orange, and blue with black outlines; applied envelope at center with red and green striped border and "CORREO AEREO - VIA AIR MAIL" printed in green and red at bottom center; irregular portion of a circle in ULQ; three darkly-outlined oval forms in URQ; two black circles at left center; horizontal row of scrolling black forms below center; blue stamp at center of irregular circular form in URQ

%C2%A9 The Saul Steinberg Foundation %2F Artists Rights Society %28ARS%29%2C New York

Mexican Airmail, 1971

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Before recognizing the elements of this image, we can sense dynamism, machinery, movement—the vocabulary of 1900s-style modern life. Closer inspection reveals the Spanish and English message that this is all about air mail. Saul Steinberg made a series of Cubistic abstract collage drawings based on specialized airmail stationery that had colorful borders of repeated diagonal stripes. The nearby circle recalls the whirring propeller of an airplane, whose other components are suggested by abstract shapes.

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Details
Title
Mexican Airmail
Artist Life
1914–1999
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2018.122.7
Provenance
The artist, New York; Saul Steinberg Foundation, New York; given to MIA, 2018
Curator Approved

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abstract image with collage elements; central area with diagonal stripes in various directions in red, green, yellow, orange, and blue with black outlines; applied envelope at center with red and green striped border and "CORREO AEREO - VIA AIR MAIL" printed in green and red at bottom center; irregular portion of a circle in ULQ; three darkly-outlined oval forms in URQ; two black circles at left center; horizontal row of scrolling black forms below center; blue stamp at center of irregular circular form in URQ

© The Saul Steinberg Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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