White Roses Sing and Sing

Alma Thomas, White Roses Sing and Sing, 1976, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 1980.36.3
Alma Thomas, White Roses Sing and Sing, 1976, acrylic on canvas, 72 1252 38 in. (184.1133.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 1980.36.3

Artwork Details

Title
White Roses Sing and Sing
Artist
Date
1976
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
72 1252 38 in. (184.1133.0 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
acrylic on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
  • Object — flower — rose
Object Number
1980.36.3

Artwork Description

White Roses Sing and Sing is non-representational yet strongly evocative of the natural world. Translucent pale forms float over a background of shifting green and yellow—a luminous image perhaps related to Thomas’s memories of her childhood home in Columbus, Georgia, in a neighborhood called Rose Hill. She once remarked that it “was rightly named because roses bloomed there almost the year round.” She also recalled that as a child exploring the outdoors she heard “singing [and] talking sounds in all things.”

Works by this artist (1 item)

Ercole Barovier, Nicolo Barovier, Mosaic Glass Goblet, ca. 1914-1928, blown and hot-worked glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.8.469.9
Mosaic Glass Goblet
Artist
attributed to Ercole Barovier
attributed to Nicolo Barovier
Dateca. 1914-1928
blown and hot-worked glass
Not on view

Exhibitions

Alma Thomas, The Eclipse, 1970, acrylic on canvas
Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas
September 15, 2023August 4, 2024
The exhibition Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas provides an intimate view of Alma Thomas’ evolving artistic practices during her most prolific period from 1959 to her death in 1978.

More Artworks from the Collection

Preston Singletary, Safe Journey, 2021, cast and sand-carved glass on wooden pedestal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery and the 40th anniversary of the alliance, and museum purchase through the Kenneth R. Trapp Acquisition Fund, 2021.82A-C, © 2021, Preston Singletary
Safe Journey
Date2021
cast and sand-carved glass on wooden pedestal
On view
Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28
Salish Clam Basket
Date2008
glass
On view
Killer Whale Hat
Date2002
blown and sand carved glass
Not on view
Ché Rhodes, Untitled, 2007, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Merrily Orsini and Frederick Heath, 2021.57A-D
Untitled
Date2007
glass
On view