Rare Late 20th-Century Signed Mexican Abstract Expressionist Painting by Wita Wygard

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On offer is a compelling, late 20th-century abstract oil painting by Mexican artist Wita Wygard (1900-2000). Living to be 100 … Read more On offer is a compelling, late 20th-century abstract oil painting by Mexican artist Wita Wygard (1900-2000). Living to be 100 years old, she witnessed the entire trajectory of 20th-century modernism. This explains why she was able to paint such a vibrant, structurally sophisticated abstract canvas well into her eighties in 1981.

STYLE: This work falls under Lyrical Abstraction (or Atmospheric Abstraction), where the focus is on emotion, depth and organic movement rather than harsh geometric shapes. It utilizes an intense central glow—an open, bright cream-and-gold core—encased by darker, fracturing tectonic shapes along the bottom and sides. This produces a strong sense of a dramatic landscape, evoking a misty mountain pass, a breaking storm, or a crashing wave without being a literal representation.

TECHNIQUE: The artist used a complex layering process. There are visible signs of sponging, wiping away pigment, and perhaps texturing the surface before applying the blues, teals, and earthy umber tones. This creates a glaze-like, almost crystalline depth in the darker regions.

ARTIST: The painting is signed clearly in the bottom-left corner as Wita Wygard '81. This painting was almost certainly created at her home in Mexico City. Wita Wygard and her husband Edward Wygard were prominent members of an active intellectual and creative circle in Mexico City beginning in the late 1950s. They were notable founding figures of the Mexican chapter of the Subud spiritual movement in 1957 alongside other regional artists, writers, and critics like the well-known British-Mexican painter Toby Joysmith. The Subud spiritual movement centered on a spontaneous, personal inner awakening to a divine force, perhaps inspiring this work.

Wygard’s highly atmospheric, spiritual abstraction heavily aligns with the mid-to-late 20th-century contemporary art movement in Mexico. Furthermore, contemporary Mexican galleries (such as Arte x Arte) specifically note that Wita Wygard's abstract landscapes are highly sensitive, rare pieces that are almost exclusively preserved in private collections across Mexico.

FRAME: The piece is housed in a minimalist, narrow-profile silver leaf-covered wood frame measuring 1 inch deep. This low-profile frame was the premier choice for contemporary abstract paintings in the late 1970s and 1980s because it protected the canvas edges without distracting from the expansive nature of abstract imagery.

VERSO: A handwritten note in Spanish on the back of this painting (photo #11) underscores the work’s origins in Mexico.

Signature/Maker’s Mark: Lower left (photo #9). Image dimensions: 29.5 inches high x 33.5 inches wide. See less