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Cowboy and "Indian" Film

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  • Raphael Montañez Ortiz, Cowboy and "Indian" Film, 1957-1958, 16 mm film, black and white, sound, Smithsonian American Art Museum, © 1957-1958, Raphael Montañez Ortiz, Gift of Gary Wolkowitz, 2011.31

Exhibition Label
Ortiz produced experimental works in which he used existing films as the raw material for his own art. In Cowboy and “Indian” Film, he ritually chopped up several copies of Anthony Mann’s classic Western Winchester ’73 (1950) and then randomly reassembled snippets to completely destroy the original movie’s narrative and audiovisual integrity. Ortiz considered his shaman-like process resonant with his indigenous heritage. His destructive act also criticized media depictions of Native Americans.


Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013
Title
Cowboy and "Indian" Film
Artist
Raphael Montañez Ortiz
Date
1957-1958
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
Copyright
© 1957-1958, Raphael Montañez Ortiz
Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Gift of Gary Wolkowitz

Mediums Description
16 mm film, black and white, sound
Classifications
Media Arts
Object Number
2011.31
Palette
Linked Open Data URI

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