Fakirs

Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Fakirs, 1951, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.93
Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Fakirs, 1951, oil on canvas, 50 1⁄4 x 32 1⁄4 in. (127.7 x 82.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.93

Artwork Details

Title
Fakirs
Artist
Date
1951
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
50 1⁄4 x 32 1⁄4 in. (127.7 x 82.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Figure — head
  • Performing arts — circus — clown
Object Number
1986.6.93
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.93

Artwork Description

Although labeled an enemy alien by the U.S. government during World War II, Kuniyoshi affirmed his allegiance to his adopted country by contributing propaganda posters to the war effort. But in the early 1950s, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and Senator Joseph McCarthy were investigating citizens they accused of communist sympathies. Kuniyoshi’s disillusionment is apparent in Fakirs. The evil-looking clown who wears a mask and pointed nose trumpets his dominance. Beside him a smaller, sad clown faces the audience/viewer; another, barely visible, peers out from behind a banner.


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Works by this artist (132 items)

View all artworks
Man Ray, Fisherman's Idol, cast 1973, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.7
Fisherman’s Idol
Artist
Datecast 1973
bronze
On view
Man Ray, Its Another Spring, 1961, mixed media: metal spring, ivory ball, and wooden cigar box, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.6
Its Another Spring
Artist
Date1961
mixed media: metal spring, ivory ball, and wooden cigar box
On view
Man Ray, Le Voyeur, 1965, wooden cigar box with inserted door lens, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.4
Le Voyeur
Artist
Date1965
wooden cigar box with inserted door lens
On view
Man Ray, Square Dumb Bells, 1944 or 1945, cast bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.17A-B
Square Dumb Bells
Artist
Date1944 or 1945
cast bronze
On view

Related Books

KuniyoshiCover_500.jpg
The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi
Painter, photographer, and printmaker Yasuo Kuniyoshi immigrated to the United States from Japan in 1906 and began a journey through New York City, Europe, and Japan that forged his unique painting style. In The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Tom Wolf charts the artist's life and career through sixty-six of the artist's best paintings and drawings. What emerges is a richly complex portrait of an artist navigating the social, cultural, and political challenges of his adopted homeland.

Exhibitions

Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
Smithsonian American Art Museum
This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Artist
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Artist
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Artist
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Image Not Available
Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
Artist
Date1917
hand-colored etching on postcard
Not on view