Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Artist:
Darryl Abraham, born Wayland, NY 1948  Search this
Medium:
mixed media: wood, plaster and waterbase paint on paper
Dimensions:
12 7/8 x 23 3/4 x 13 5/8 in. (32.6 x 60.3 x 34.5 cm)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
1973
Luce Center Label:
Darryl Abraham based Honeymoon Motel on a motel near Niagara Falls, which has long been known as the honeymoon capital of the world. The artist first saw the building during a road trip with his father along Route 15 in upstate New York. Years later, Abraham remembered the motel, which has since closed down, and created this sculpture to symbolize what can happen to a marriage when the excitement of the honeymoon is over. The crumbling slates and ramshackle railings offer newlyweds a wry warning of the dangers of neglecting their relationship.
Luce Object Quote:
"Honeymoon Motel . . . was colorful, intriguing, inviting and robust and it seemed appropriate to memorialize its sense of promise in a piece of art." Letter from the artist, 2004
Topic:
Figure male\full length  Search this
Architecture Exterior\commercial\hotel  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Object number:
1975.22
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7fff5ea8e-587a-4174-b22e-dc8ca96ef026
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1975.22