Helicopter from the series History

David Levinthal, Helicopter from the series History, 2014, inkjet print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.8, © 2014, David Levinthal
David Levinthal, Helicopter from the series History, 2014, inkjet print, 61 × 79 in. (154.9 × 200.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.8, © 2014, David Levinthal

Artwork Details

Title
Helicopter from the series History
Date
2014
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
61 × 79 in. (154.9 × 200.7 cm)
Copyright
© 2014, David Levinthal
Credit Line
Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr.
Mediums Description
inkjet print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — time — night
Object Number
2017.41.8

Artwork Description

Levinthal began creating photographic references to the Vietnam War in 2010, spurred by the availability of a higher quality and number of toy replicas related to the conflict. Helicopter references the opening sequence from Francis Ford Coppola's iconic 1979 film Apocalypse Now, in which Huey helicopters fly in front of a massive napalm explosion. With just a few visual elements, Levinthal conjures a vivid and instantly recognizable picture of the Vietnam War.

Works by this artist (5 items)

Frederick Brown, Junior Wells, 1989, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by William Cost Johnson, George W. Story, Robert J. Oliver and Mrs. Barwig-Wagner, 1990.31
Junior Wells
Date1989
oil on linen
Not on view
Frederick Brown, Green Window, 1970, oil, silica, and glue on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gerald L. Pearson, 1995.22.2, © 1970, Frederick J. Brown
Green Window
Date1970
oil, silica, and glue on canvas
Not on view
Frederick Brown, John Henry, 1979, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gerald L. Pearson, 1995.22.1, © 1979, Frederick J. Brown
John Henry
Date1979
oil on canvas
Not on view
Frederick Brown, Stagger Lee, 1983, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1991.40, © 1983, Frederick J. Brown
Stagger Lee
Date1983
oil on canvas
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2017.32.10 - SAAM-2017.32.10_1 - 133751
American Myth & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs 
June 7, 2019October 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.