Untitled

Albert "Kid" Mertz, Untitled, ca. 1980, painted railroad spikes, weight: approx. 1087 lb. (493.1 kg), Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.42

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Artist
Date
ca. 1980
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
weight: approx. 1087 lb. (493.1 kg)
Credit Line
The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson
Mediums Description
painted railroad spikes
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — tool — hardware
Object Number
2016.38.42
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2016.38.42

Artwork Description

After retiring from a career as an automotive die cutter, Albert “Kid” Mertz turned to painting and sculpting. He covered his modest Michigan home—which he variously called “Owl’s Rest,” “Owl’s Roost,” and “Al’s Roost”—with polka dots, stripes, and colorful embellishments. He painted objects as well, including hundreds, possibly thousands of railroad spikes he had collected from tracks near his property, giving each spike a cheerful face. Unlike some art environments, Mertz’s space was not intended for performance, protection, or preaching; it was simply a place for the artist to creatively transform, and for visitors to delight in.
(We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection, 2022)

Works by this artist (1 item)

Jane Kaufman, Crystal Hanging (study for sculpture, Federal Building, Boston, Massachusetts), 1985, mechanical reproduction with colored pencil, glitter and rhinestones on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1989.2.2
Crystal Hanging (study for sculpture, Federal Building,…
Artist
Date1985
mechanical reproduction with colored pencil, glitter and rhinestones on paper mounted on paperboard
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.38.43R-V - SAAM-2016.38.43R-V_2 - 126225
We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection
July 1, 2022–March 26, 2023
Smithsonian American Art Museum
We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection traces the rise of self-taught artists in the twentieth century and examines how, despite wide-ranging societal, racial, and gender-based obstacles, their creativity and

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Richard Horosko-Manderbach, Candelabrum, ca. 1975, iron, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.153
Candelabrum
Artist
Dateca. 1975
iron
On view
Sondra Sherman, M-O-P Button Necklace, 1987, constructed mother-of-pearl, glass buttons, and iron wire, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Libby Cooper in memory of Lillian Bardfield, 2002.60
M‑O-P Button Necklace
Artist
Date1987
constructed mother-of-pearl, glass buttons, and iron wire
Not on view
June Schwarcz, Bowl #804, 1981, electroplated copper, and enameled, electroplated, and oiled iron, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carl W. Schwarcz, 1981.34
Bowl #804
Artist
Date1981
electroplated copper, and enameled, electroplated, and oiled iron
On view
Odd Fellows Third Degree Banner, ca. 1908, painted and embroidered satin with metallic fringe and tassles, cotton lining, and metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.354
Odd Fellows Third Degree Banner
Dateca. 1908
painted and embroidered satin with metallic fringe and tassles, cotton lining, and metal
Not on view