Saber Dance

Gene Davis, Saber Dance, 1952, ink and ink wash on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Florence Coulson Davis, 1996.104.55, © 1952 Gene Davis Estate
Gene Davis, Saber Dance, 1952, ink and ink wash on paper, 13 1⁄2 x 16 1⁄2 in. (34.3 x 41.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Florence Coulson Davis, 1996.104.55, © 1952 Gene Davis Estate

Artwork Details

Title
Saber Dance
Artist
Date
1952
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
13 1⁄2 x 16 1⁄2 in. (34.3 x 41.9 cm)
Copyright
© 1952 Gene Davis Estate
Credit Line
Bequest of Florence Coulson Davis
Mediums
Mediums Description
ink and ink wash on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1996.104.55
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1996.104.55

Artwork Description

Davis began his career making gestural, abstract drawings in black ink, but the various grays in drawings such as Saber Dance indicate an incipient interest in color. Although he is best known for his colorful paintings of vertical stripes made later in his career, early drawings like this one reveal the breadth of his interests and his range of expression. Davis made the drawings without a subject in mind and gave them titles after he completed them.

Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009

Works by this artist (338 items)

View all artworks
Gene Davis, Stripes, 1957, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Florence Coulson Davis, 1996.104.30
Stripes
Artist
Date1957
oil on canvas
On view
Gene Davis, John Barley Corn, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1976.108.37
John Barley Corn
Artist
Not on view
Gene Davis, King Kong, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.22
King Kong
Artist
screenprint
Not on view
Gene Davis, Graf Zeppelin, n.d., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1976.108.36
Graf Zeppelin
Artist
Daten.d.
Not on view

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