Double Portrait

Alfonso Ossorio, Double Portrait, 1944, watercolor and black ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1993.70
Alfonso Ossorio, Double Portrait, 1944, watercolor and black ink on paper, sheet and image: 14 x 20 in. (35.5 x 50.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1993.70

Artwork Details

Title
Double Portrait
Artist
Date
1944
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 14 x 20 in. (35.5 x 50.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor and black ink on paper
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Portrait group
  • Portrait male — Darbey, James
  • Portrait male — Collamore, Bacon
Object Number
1993.70
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1993.70

Artwork Description

This elegant, hallucinatory drawing combines grotesque anatomical fragments, realistic portraiture, and surrealistic fantasy. Ossorio’s state of mind can only be described as tormented, induced by his World War II experiences, a recent divorce, and his uneasy acknowledgement of homosexuality. Double Portrait is based on his memories of Camp Ellis, Illinois, where he suffered a life-threatening accident and documented injured soldiers and prisoners of war as a medical illustrator.

Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009

Works by this artist (12 items)

View all artworks
Gustaf Oscar Dalström, Railroad Station 1880 (mural study, St. Joseph, Missouri Post Office and Courthouse), 1941, tempera, pencil and crayon on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.28.90
Railroad Station 1880 (mural study, St. Joseph, Missouri…
Artist
Date1941
tempera, pencil and crayon on paperboard
Not on view
Gustaf Oscar Dalström, Abandoned Farm, 1934, etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.418
Abandoned Farm
Artist
Date1934
etching on paper
Not on view
Gustaf Oscar Dalström, (Untitled) (mural study, St. Joseph, Missouri Post Office and Courthouse), 1941, tempera, pencil and crayon on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.28.91
(Untitled) (mural study, St. Joseph, Missouri Post Office…
Artist
Date1941
tempera, pencil and crayon on paperboard
Not on view
Gustaf Oscar Dalström, Night, Chicago World's Fair, 1933, etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.529
Night, Chicago World’s Fair
Artist
Date1933
etching on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Artist
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Artist
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Artist
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Image Not Available
Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
Artist
Date1917
hand-colored etching on postcard
Not on view