The Curtain

George Segal, The Curtain, 1974, mixed media: plaster, glass and painted wood, 84 1⁄2 x 39 1⁄4 x 35 1⁄2 in. (214.6 x 99.7 x 90.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.62, (c) 1978, George Segal

Artwork Details

Title
The Curtain
Artist
Date
1974
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
84 1⁄2 x 39 1⁄4 x 35 1⁄2 in. (214.6 x 99.7 x 90.2 cm.)
Copyright
(c) 1978, George Segal
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
mixed media: plaster, glass and painted wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Interior — detail — window
  • Figure female — nude
Object Number
1978.62
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1978.62

Artwork Description

George Segal found the themes for his plaster-cast figures in accidental glimpses of other people's lives. In this piece, the woman's poetic gesture of parting a curtain echoes Segal's sculptural process, as he delicately captures the intimate details of another person's body. The artist wrapped his models in plaster-soaked gauze and used either the rough external form or, as in The Curtain, cast a second figure from the impression inside the casing. His technique demanded that his sitters keep their eyes shut, and the resulting faces remain impassive while the body alone communicates. The contrasts of shadows falling on white plaster and the sense of a fleeting moment frozen in time reflect Segal's reverence for the "miraculous" quality of "ordinary life and ordinary space."

Works by this artist (6 items)

View all artworks
George Segal, The Curtain, 1974, mixed media: plaster, glass and painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.62, (c) 1978, George Segal
The Curtain
Artist
Date1974
mixed media: plaster, glass and painted wood
Not on view
George Segal, Untitled--Figure with White Chair, 1970, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1988.18.55
Untitled – Figure with White Chair
Artist
Date1970
screenprint on paper
Not on view
George Segal, The Restaurant, 1975, brush and ink, pen and ink, oil wash, gouache, charcoal and collage: photograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1977.47.56
The Restaurant
Artist
Date1975
brush and ink, pen and ink, oil wash, gouache, charcoal and collage: photograph on paper
Not on view
George Segal, Untitled--Red Chair and Radiator, 1970, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1988.18.54
Untitled – Red Chair and Radiator
Artist
Date1970
screenprint on paper
Not on view

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Unidentified, HEREIN LIES WHAT THE MOUNTAIN-LIONS LEFT OF MUCHABONGO. GONE TO THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS, WHERE GAME IS EVER PLENTIFUL, AND THE WHITE MAN NEVER INTRUDES., early 20th century, carved and painted wood and plaster, synthetic fiber and buttons, wool cotton, feathers, and shell, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.313A-B
HEREIN LIES WHAT THE MOUNTAIN-LIONS LEFT OF MUCHABONGO…
Artist
Unidentified
Dateearly 20th century
carved and painted wood and plaster, synthetic fiber and buttons, wool cotton, feathers, and shell
Not on view