Modern Cycle

Grace Hartigan, Modern Cycle, 1967, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.33
Grace Hartigan, Modern Cycle, 1967, oil on canvas, 78 1⁄2 x 108 1⁄2 in. (199.4 x 275.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.33

Artwork Details

Title
Modern Cycle
Artist
Date
1967
Location
Dimensions
78 1⁄2 x 108 1⁄2 in. (199.4 x 275.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure
  • Abstract
Object Number
1980.137.33
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1980.137.33

Artwork Description

My male students at the time were obsessed with motorcycles--one even kept his in his studio--and out of sheer self-preservation I bought a poster of Brando on a bike and [of] Peter Fonda, some cycle magazines, pinned them on my painting wall and Modern Cycle was the result. It is, incidentally, one of my favorite paintings.
--Grace Hartigan

Grace Hartigan's work often combines the spontaneity and large scale of abstract painting with images drawn from popular culture or everyday experience. In Modern Cycle, we see fragments of people and motorbikes--a dynamic mix of human and mechanical, masculine and feminine. 

Works by this artist (9 items)

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De Lancey Gill, Landscape Sketch, n.d., watercolor on paperboard: illustration board, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. William Henry Holmes, 1930.12.35
Landscape Sketch
Artist
Daten.d.
watercolor on paperboard: illustration board
Not on view
De Lancey Gill, Street in the Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico, 1888, watercolor and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum acquisition, 1955.9.1
Street in the Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico
Artist
Date1888
watercolor and pencil on paper
Not on view
De Lancey Gill, Washington, D.C., 1888, watercolor and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1973.139
Washington, D.C.
Artist
Date1888
watercolor and pencil on paper
Not on view
De Lancey Gill, Pueblo Bonito Ruin, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, 1888, watercolor, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum acquisition, 1955.9.4
Pueblo Bonito Ruin, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Artist
Date1888
watercolor
Not on view

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Oliver Tarbell Eddy, Self-Portrait, ca. 1850, oil on tin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.3
Self-Portrait
Artist
Dateca. 1850
oil on tin
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Jacob Maentel, Portrait of Elizabeth Sweitzer Musser, ca. 1826, watercolor and pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.5
Portrait of Elizabeth Sweitzer Musser
Artist
Dateca. 1826
watercolor and pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Jacob Maentel, Portrait of Adam Musser, ca. 1822, watercolor and pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.9
Portrait of Adam Musser
Artist
Dateca. 1822
watercolor and pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Ammi Phillips, Portrait of Helen (Lena) Ten Broeck, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.10
Portrait of Helen (Lena) Ten Broeck
Artist
Date1834
oil on canvas
On view