Navajo Man

Charlie Willeto, Navajo Man, ca. 1960, house paint on carved pine, 29 1⁄4 x 5 x 4 in. (74.3 x 12.7 x 10.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.96

Artwork Details

Title
Navajo Man
Artist
Date
ca. 1960
Location
Dimensions
29 1⁄4 x 5 x 4 in. (74.3 x 12.7 x 10.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
house paint on carved pine
Classifications
Subjects
  • Indian — Navajo
  • Figure male — full length
Object Number
1997.124.96
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.124.96

Artwork Description

Charlie Willeto carved sculptures from old boards of sun-weathered pine and exchanged them for groceries at a trading post near his home (Charles Rosenak, Folk Art of the People: Navajo Works, 1987). His wife, Elizabeth, helped him paint these figures to show traditional Navajo clothing and jewelry. The simple shapes and muted colors of the figures reflect the bleak environment around his home in Nageezi, New Mexico.

Works by this artist (3 items)

Peter Campus, Three Transitions, 1973, single-channel video, color, sound; 04:53 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Ford Motor Company, 2007.33.12, © 1973, Peter Campus. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix, NY
Three Transitions
Artist
Date1973
single-channel video, color, sound; 04:53 minutes
Not on view
Peter Campus, Barn at North Fork, 2010, high-definition digital video, color, sound; 24:00 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.55.1, © 2010, Peter Campus
Barn at North Fork
Artist
Date2010
high-definition digital video, color, sound; 24:00 minutes
Not on view
Peter Campus, Head of a Misanthropic Man, 1976-1978, analog video transferred to digital video, color, silent; looped, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.55.2, © 1976-1978, Peter Campus
Head of a Misanthropic Man
Artist
Date1976-1978
analog video transferred to digital video, color, silent; looped
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Cat Mazza, Knit for Defense, 2011-2012, single-channel digital video, black and white, surround sound; 9:10 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2012.28, © 2012, Cat Mazza
Knit for Defense
Artist
Date2011-2012
single-channel digital video, black and white, surround sound; 9:10 minutes
Not on view
Kota Ezawa, LYAM 3D, 2008, digital animation, color, silent; 04:00 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible through Deaccession Funds, 2010.23, © 2008, Kota Ezawa
LYAM 3D
Artist
Date2008
digital animation, color, silent; 04:00 minutes
Not on view
Rico Gatson, History Lessons, 2004, four-channel video, color, sound; 10:12 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.7.2, © 2004, Aunrico Gatson
History Lessons
Artist
Date2004
four-channel video, color, sound; 10:12 minutes
Not on view
Image Not Available
The Passage
Artist
Date2009
single-channel video, color, sound; 19:00 minutes
Not on view