Two Vendors

John M. Valadez, Two Vendors, 1989, pastel on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program and the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.95, © 1989, John M. Valadez
John M. Valadez, Two Vendors, 1989, pastel on paper, sheet and image: 82 1450 12 in. (208.9128.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program and the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.95, © 1989, John M. Valadez

Artwork Details

Title
Two Vendors
Date
1989
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 82 1450 12 in. (208.9128.3 cm)
Copyright
© 1989, John M. Valadez
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program and the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
pastel on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — male
  • Figure female — head
  • Occupation — vendor
  • Object — toy — doll
Object Number
1994.95

Artwork Description

When Valadez established his studio on Broadway Street in downtown Los Angeles, this busy thoroughfare became a recurring subject of stylish Chicanos traversing the commercial district. Here he presents a scene of two vendors competing for the attention of female shoppers. The baroque profusion of detail, which implies the complexity of everyday life, juxtaposes images of spiritual longing, female rapture, and commercial fulfillment.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013

Description in Spanish

Cuando Valadez estableció su estudio en la calle Broadway del centro de Los Ángeles, esta vía muy transitada se convirtió en un tema recurrente de su obra. Con frecuencia basaba sus cuadros hiperrealistas en fragmentos tomados de sus propias fotografías de chicanos elegantes que atravesaban el distrito comercial. Aquí presenta una escena de dos vendedores compitiendo por la atención de las clientas. La profusión barroca de detalles, que alude à la complejidad de la vida cotidiana, yuxtapone imágenes de anhelos espirituales, éxtasis femenino y logro comercial.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

Works by this artist (6 items)

ADÁL, Un Momento Retardado, ca. 1973, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.1, © 1973, ADAL
Un Momento Retardado
Artist
Dateca. 1973
gelatin silver print
Not on view
ADÁL, El Puerto Rican Passport, El Spirit Republic de Puerto Rico: Adál Maldonado, 1994, lithography with photograph in staple-bound booklet, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2013.19.1, © 2012, ADÁL
El Puerto Rican Passport, El Spirit Republic de Puerto Rico…
Artist
Date1994
lithography with photograph in staple-bound booklet
Not on view
ADÁL, El Puerto Rican Passport, El Spirit Republic de Puerto Rico: Luciana Alexandra del Rio de la Serna, 1994, issued 2012, lithography with photograph in staple-bound booklet, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2013.19.2, © 2012, ADÁL
El Puerto Rican Passport, El Spirit Republic de Puerto Rico…
Artist
Date1994, issued 2012
lithography with photograph in staple-bound booklet
Not on view
ADÁL, West Side Story Upside Down, Backwards, Sideways and Out of Focus (La Maleta de Futriaco Martínez), 2002, suitcase, flat-screen LCD monitor, single-channel digital video, color, sound; 12:51 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.20A-B, © 2002, ADÁL
West Side Story Upside Down, Backwards, Sideways and Out of…
Artist
Date2002
suitcase, flat-screen LCD monitor, single-channel digital video, color, sound; 12:51 minutes
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013March 2, 2014
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.

Related Posts

Media - 1994.95 - SAAM-1994.95_1 - 12471
In this blog post Curatorial Assistant Florencia Bazzano-Nelson comments on John Valadez's Two Vendors, an intense and large-scale pastel that will be featured in the upcoming 2013 exhibition Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art. Like other works in the exhibition, this work demonstrates the masterful ways in which Latino artists—many born and/or raised in large cities in California, New York and beyond—have drawn inspiration from America's urban streets.
Florencia Bazzano-Nelson

More Artworks from the Collection

Sean Scully, Pomes Penyeach (by James Joyce), 1993, book, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2001.79.44.1-13, © 1993, Sean Scully
Pomes Penyeach (by James Joyce)
Date1993
book
Not on view
Man Ray, Alphabet for Adults, 1948, mechanical reproduction on paper and paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1985.25.1, © 1948, Man Ray Trust
Alphabet for Adults
Artist
Date1948
mechanical reproduction on paper and paperboard
Not on view
The American Monument
Date1976
deluxe edition book limited to 50 copies, Eakins Press, New York, edition 28/50, Volume I contains 213 gravure illustrations
Not on view