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Catalog Data

Artist:
Alex Katz, born New York City 1927  Search this
Sitter:
George Washington  Search this
Medium:
wood
Dimensions:
73 7/8 x 39 7/8 x 6 3/8 in. (187.8 x 101.3 x 16.2 cm)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
1961
Luce Center Label:
In 1959, Alex Katz began painting figures on canvas, cutting them out and then pasting them onto wooden boards. Two years later the playwright Kenneth Koch saw an exhibition of these and asked Katz to produce the props and sets for his one-act play George Washington Crossing the Delaware. In Koch's satire, Washington’s famous crossing was motivated by his childhood when, after cutting down the cherry tree, the young Washington swam across a river to avoid his father's wrath. The play became an underground hit largely because of Katz's irreverent image of Washington. At the time, art critic Irving Sandler described the cutouts as "the perfect setting for the delivery of such lines as the following from the father of our country: 'I am tired and I need sleep. Good night America.'"
Luce Object Quote:
"I do not think that sets or costumes should decorate a play . . . Rather, they should interpret the spirit and present it as strongly as the play." Alex Katz, quoted in Sandler, "In the Art Galleries," New York Post, February 9, 1964
Topic:
Dress\uniform\military uniform  Search this
History\United States\Revolution  Search this
Occupation\military\general  Search this
Waterscape\river\Delaware River  Search this
Object\weapon\sword  Search this
Portrait male\knee length  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Aaron Kozak
Object number:
1982.121
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/vk7171a17a0-9797-4394-b41b-601de1790a22
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1982.121