Requiem

J. Fred Woell, Requiem, 1968, silver, bronze, glass, photo, wood, and putty, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Rose Mary Wadman, 1991.57.2
Copied J. Fred Woell, Requiem, 1968, silver, bronze, glass, photo, wood, and putty, 4 3⁄4 x 4 5⁄8 x 3⁄4 in. (12.1 X 11.8 X 2.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Rose Mary Wadman, 1991.57.2

Artwork Details

Title
Requiem
Artist
Date
1968
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
4 3⁄4 x 4 5⁄8 x 3⁄4 in. (12.1 X 11.8 X 2.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Rose Mary Wadman
Mediums
Mediums Description
silver, bronze, glass, photo, wood, and putty
Classifications
Subjects
  • State of being — death — execution
  • Homage — Kennedy, John F.
  • Portrait male — Kennedy, Robert F.
Object Number
1991.57.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1991.57.2

Artwork Description

Fred Woell created Requiem after Robert Kennedy's assassination in 1968. The contorted features of the photographic portrait express both Kennedy's pain and the trauma endured by the nation. Stamped around the edge of the pin is the phrase "Jesus Saves," a reference to the Kennedy family's Catholic faith. The stars signify his final resting-place and remind us that his brother President John F. Kennedy was assassinated five years earlier in Texas, the Lone Star State.