Famous Selection, from ​“The Deceiver and the Deceived” series

Copied Harriete Estel Berman, Famous Selection, from "The Deceiver and the Deceived" series, 1995-1996, vintage steel dollhouses, tins, and aluminum rivets, 1 3⁄4 x 15 x 13 1⁄2 in. (4.4 x 38.1 x 34.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1997.51

Artwork Details

Title
Famous Selection, from ​“The Deceiver and the Deceived” series
Artist
Date
1995-1996
Location
Dimensions
1 3⁄4 x 15 x 13 1⁄2 in. (4.4 x 38.1 x 34.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of an anonymous donor
Mediums
Mediums Description
vintage steel dollhouses, tins, and aluminum rivets
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — female
  • Figure female — child — full length
  • Landscape — plant — rose
  • Object — art object — painting
  • Architecture Interior — domestic
  • Object — written matter
  • Architecture Interior — detail — fireplace
  • Architecture Exterior — detail — wall
Object Number
1997.51
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.51

Artwork Description

Famous Selection is from a series titled The Deceiver and the Deceived, which combines one hundred and forty images of women from printed steel containers. Harriete Berman disassembled and flattened these, and, with the help of a sheet-metal brake, folded them into a fan shape symbolizing traditional ideas of domesticity and "feminine art." The difficult and dangerous work with the raw metal results in beautiful sculptures that reflect the mixed expectations of women in our culture.