Man with Briefcase

Copied Jonathan Borofsky, Man with Briefcase, 1987-1988, Cor-Ten steel, 320 × 94 1⁄2 × 2 3⁄4 in. (812.8 × 240.0 × 7.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Thelma and Melvin Lenkin and Julie Walters and Sam Rose in honor of Elizabeth Broun, Director from 1989 to 2016, 2016.48

Artwork Details

Title
Man with Briefcase
Artist
Date
1987-1988
Location
Dimensions
320 × 94 1⁄2 × 2 3⁄4 in. (812.8 × 240.0 × 7.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Thelma and Melvin Lenkin and Julie Walters and Sam Rose in honor of Elizabeth Broun, Director from 1989 to 2016
Mediums Description
Cor-Ten steel
Classifications
Subjects
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Figure male — full length
  • Dress — accessory — handbag
Object Number
2016.48
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2016.48

Artwork Description

Jonathan Borofsky's monumental silhouette of a man carrying a briefcase portrays an urban Everyman. The artist was inspired in 1979 by a newspaper advertisement for men's suits and subsequently made this archetypal office worker a recurring theme in his work. The number on the figure's leg, "3277542," reflects the artist's habit of "signing" his pieces with a number from a continuous sequence.