Half Woman, Quarter Bird

Howard Newman, Half Woman, Quarter Bird, 1974-1975, bronze/cast, assembled and screwed, 24 1⁄8 x 13 x 20 1⁄4 in. (61.3 x 33.0 x 51.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.68, © 1975, Howard Newman

Artwork Details

Title
Half Woman, Quarter Bird
Artist
Date
1974-1975
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
24 1⁄8 x 13 x 20 1⁄4 in. (61.3 x 33.0 x 51.4 cm.)
Copyright
© 1975, Howard Newman
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze/cast, assembled and screwed
Classifications
Subjects
  • Fantasy
  • Dress — accessory — hat
Object Number
1986.6.68
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.68

Artwork Description

Howard Newman casts elements from machines and assembles them into interlocking geometric shapes that resemble human figures. Influenced by the cubists and Italian futurists of the early twentieth century, Newman transforms their celebration of speed and mechanization into reflective statements about modern life. The mechanomorphic figure of Half Woman, Quarter Bird fuses images from nature and industry, offering a cautionary note that speaks to the potential for technological entrapment.


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Works by this artist (6 items)

View all artworks
Jorge Soto Sánchez, El Velorio de Oller en Nueva York, 1974, revised 1984, hand-colored screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.60.1, © Hermiñia Ramos
El Velorio de Oller en Nueva York
Artist
Date1974, revised 1984
hand-colored screenprint
Not on view
Jorge Soto Sánchez, Primer Festival de Teatro Popular Latinoamericano, 1976, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Frank K. Ribelin Endowment, 2013.60.2, © Hermiñia Ramos
Primer Festival de Teatro Popular Latinoamericano
Artist
Date1976
screenprint
Not on view
Jorge Soto Sánchez, Untitled, n.d., screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Frank K. Ribelin Endowment, 2013.60.4, © Hermiñia Ramos
Untitled
Artist
Daten.d.
screenprint
Not on view
Jorge Soto Sánchez, Teatro Jurutungo, late 1970s, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Frank K. Ribelin Endowment, 2013.60.5, © Hermiñia Ramos
Teatro Jurutungo
Artist
Datelate 1970s
screenprint
Not on view

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Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, ca. 1945-1950, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2002.86.7
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Dateca. 1945-1950
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Jared French, Margaret French, PaJaMa, Paul Cadmus, PaJaMa (Box A), ca. 1937, gelatin silver prints, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Margaret French, 1999.98.5.16
PaJaMa (Box A)
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Dateca. 1937
gelatin silver prints
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