The Athlete’s Dream

Larry Rivers, The Athlete's Dream, 1956, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1966.84.2
Copied Larry Rivers, The Athlete's Dream, 1956, oil on canvas, 82 1⁄8 x 118 7⁄8 in. (208.7 x 301.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1966.84.2

Artwork Details

Title
The Athlete’s Dream
Artist
Date
1956
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
82 1⁄8 x 118 7⁄8 in. (208.7 x 301.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Occupation — sport — athlete
  • State of being — phenomenon — dream
  • Figure group
Object Number
1966.84.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.84.2

Artwork Description

The Athlete's Dream is a composite of heads and body parts that captures multiple moments in time. Four images of Rivers's friend and lover Frank O'Hara stand at the upper left above several versions of Rivers himself seated below. The right half of the canvas is devoted to images of his mother-in-law Berdie, who lived with him and took care of his two sons. Blurry erasures, smears, and scrubbed areas of paint suggest figures in motion, psychological fragmentation, and the temporal and spatial shifts of dreams. Although Rivers normally made drawings in advance of painting, The Athlete's Dream has an improvisational, random quality that connects the canvas with the artist's life as a jazz saxophonist.

Modern Masters: Midcentury Abstraction from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2008