Untitled

Albert "Kid" Mertz, Untitled, ca. 1980, painted railroad spikes, weight: approx. 1087 lb. (493.1 kg), Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.42

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Artist
Date
ca. 1980
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
weight: approx. 1087 lb. (493.1 kg)
Credit Line
The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson
Mediums Description
painted railroad spikes
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — tool — hardware
Object Number
2016.38.42
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2016.38.42

Artwork Description

After retiring from a career as an automotive die cutter, Albert “Kid” Mertz turned to painting and sculpting. He covered his modest Michigan home—which he variously called “Owl’s Rest,” “Owl’s Roost,” and “Al’s Roost”—with polka dots, stripes, and colorful embellishments. He painted objects as well, including hundreds, possibly thousands of railroad spikes he had collected from tracks near his property, giving each spike a cheerful face. Unlike some art environments, Mertz’s space was not intended for performance, protection, or preaching; it was simply a place for the artist to creatively transform, and for visitors to delight in.
(We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection, 2022)

Works by this artist (88 items)

View all artworks
Thomas Moran, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1893-1901, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of George D. Pratt, 1928.7.1
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Artist
Date1893-1901
oil on canvas
On view
Thomas Moran, A Mexican Hacienda, Lake Cuitzeo, 1885, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1968.120.2
A Mexican Hacienda, Lake Cuitzeo
Artist
Date1885
oil on wood
On view
Thomas Moran, Rainbow over the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1900, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Marion H. Conley, 1988.49.1
Rainbow over the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Artist
Date1900
oil on canvas
On view
Thomas Moran, Fort George Island, Florida, 1878, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Neil M. Judd, 1970.73
Fort George Island, Florida
Artist
Date1878
oil on canvas
On view

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.38.43R-V - SAAM-2016.38.43R-V_2 - 126225
We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection
July 1, 2022–March 26, 2023
Smithsonian American Art Museum
We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection traces the rise of self-taught artists in the twentieth century and examines how, despite wide-ranging societal, racial, and gender-based obstacles, their creativity and

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Woman in Profile, ca. 1944, recto: pen and ink and pencil on paper verso: pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.485R-V
Portrait of a Woman in Profile
Artist
Dateca. 1944
recto: pen and ink and pencil on paper verso: pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Joseph Cornell, "D" in Descartes, 1971, collage with ink, pencil and stamps on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, 1991.155.362
“D” in Descartes
Artist
Date1971
collage with ink, pencil and stamps on paperboard
Not on view
Harold Tovish, Particles II, 1971, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.64
Particles II
Artist
Date1971
pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view
Philip Guston, Head of a Woman, 1931, pen and ink, conte crayon, and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Director's Discretionary Fund, 1987.2
Head of a Woman
Artist
Date1931
pen and ink, conte crayon, and pencil on paper
Not on view