Luce Foundation Center

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Open daily, 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.

The nation’s first collection of American art, an unparalleled record of the American experience.

Plan your visit

Renwick Gallery Stairwwell

Renwick Gallery

Open daily, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Located just feet from the White House, a branch of the museum that is home the nation's collection of contemporary craft and decorative art.

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How Do I Research My Art?

Want to learn more about the painting you found while clearing out the attic? For answers, be prepared for a little detective work.

How to Care for Your Collections

Regardless of the monetary value of your artwork, if it is personally meaningful, you should consider having the object conserved.

Recording a Changing Nation

This resource uses images from photographic surveys in 55 communities in 30 states across the United States as source documents to spark sustained inquiry.

Critical Thinking in Action

These 60-to-95-minute units pair thinking patterns with works of art to instill a thinking disposition transferable across classroom curriculum and into the wider world.

Director’s Circle

A national membership group of museum friends who share a love of American art and craft and our commitment to celebrating the extraordinary creativity of our nation’s artists.

A membership group for young professionals who are interested in immersing themselves in the American art experience.

The Manhandler from the Blue Boy Set

Media - 1991.194.4C - SAAM-1991.194.4C_1 - 53692

Media - 1991.194.4C - SAAM-1991.194.4A-D_1 - 53694

Copied Howard Kottler, The Manhandler from the Blue Boy Set, 1969, porcelain, silver, and applied decals, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Howard Kottler Testamentary Trust, 1991.194.4C

Artwork Details

Title: The Manhandler from the Blue Boy Set
Artist: Howard Kottler
Date: 1969
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
/
4th Floor
/
53B
Dimensions: 1 ¹⁄₄ x 10 ⁷⁄₈ in. (3.2 x 27.6 cm.) diam.
Credit Line: Gift of the Howard Kottler Testamentary Trust
Mediums: silver
porcelain
Mediums Description: porcelain, silver, and applied decals
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Keywords: Figure group — male
Object Number: 1991.194.4C
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1991.194.4C

Artwork Description

Howard Kottler created The Manhandler by cutting up the decal and piecing it back together. The artist’s tendency to play on words is evident here, where the idea of someone being “manhandled”, or dealt with roughly, conflicts with the young man’s composure.