Between 1954 and 1961, Venezuelan American sculptor Marisol produced a total of 35 artworks on the subject of family, including The Large Family Group (1957). Featuring five roughly carved mahogany figures affixed to smooth planks of wood, it depicts a well-dressed family standing close together and looking out at the viewer, as if posed for a photograph. The tall woman standing left of center towers over her male counterparts, anchoring not just the composition, but the family.

The large quantity of family-themed artworks in Marisol’s oeuvre suggests a preoccupation with the topic. Her mother committed suicide when Marisol was eleven, and, while her father eventually remarried, Marisol never grew close to her stepmother. By returning repeatedly to the subject of families, the artist worked through the loss of a parent and the family unit she once knew.

In addition to expressing trauma, Marisol’s family sculptures offered a springboard to explore social issues including traditional gender roles and economic inequality. In The Large Family Group, the dominant, tree-like presence of the female figure is a direct challenge to patriarchal family structures.