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David Levinthal, Dallas 1963 from the series History, 2013, inkjet print, 17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.13, © 2013, David Levinthal
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Dallas 1963 from the series History
- Artist
- Date
- 2013
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm)
- Copyright
- © 2013, David Levinthal
- Credit Line
- Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr.
- Mediums Description
- inkjet print
- Classifications
- Keywords
- Architecture — vehicle — automobile
- Ceremony — procession
- Portrait male — Kennedy, John F. — bust
- Portrait female — Kennedy, Jacqueline — bust
- Cityscape — Texas — Dallas
- Portrait group — family — spouses
- Occupation — political — president
- Occupation — political — first lady
- Object Number
- 2017.41.13
Artwork Description
Dallas 1963 shows a model of President John F. Kennedy in a black Lincoln Continental moments before he was assassinated. The photograph is loosely based on Abraham Zapruder's famous 8mm amateur film of the tragedy, but the orientation of the car and the figures is
reversed. The First Lady and her pink hat, rather than the president, become the focus. Despite this and the blurring of the image, the subject is unmistakable. Its continual repetition in the media has embedded the scene in our collective psyche, reinforcing public fascination around the
tragedy. Levinthal's adaptation not only gestures at the actual event but also these countless restagings.
Exhibitions
June 7, 2019–October 14, 2019
Populated with toy cowboys and cavalry, Barbie dolls and baseball players, David Levinthal’s photographs reference iconic images and events that shaped postwar American society.