Pantone Ultra Violet Inspiration

A photograph of Sara Snyder
Sara Snyder
Former Head of External Affairs & Digital Strategies
December 8, 2017

The Pantone Color Institute recently announced their 2018 Color of the Year, a “dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade,” PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet. SAAM staff promptly cranked up “Purple Rain” radio and searched the museum’s collection for purple tones, discovering a variety of artworks, some of which we didn’t remember having seen before. Here are a few favorites:

 

Media - 1970.78 - SAAM-1970.78_1 - 3621
Robert Bidner, Low Resolution, 1970, acrylic on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.78

 

Media - 1970.112 - SAAM-1970.112_1 - 124750
Werner Drewes, Contrasting Harmony, color woodcut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.112
Media - 1979.119.2 - SAAM-1979.119.2_1 - 53617
John R. Grabach, Morning, ca. 1917, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1979.119.2
Media - 1973.91.5 - SAAM-1973.91.5_1 - 124226
Nicholas Krushenick, Purple Passion, 1961, color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Inc., 1973.91.5
Media - 2002.76 - SAAM-2002.76_1 - 66411
Lise B. McCann Hoffman, Pansies, 2002, lead crystal with sandblasting and diamond engraving, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist in memory of her father, LTC Wilber D. Brickwell, U.S. Army, 2002.76

 

Media - 2013.72.6 - SAAM-2013.72.6_1-000001 - 90871
Ray Johnson, Pen Pals, 1969, paper collage, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James F. Dicke Family, 2013.72.6

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