Ghost Plate with Mickey Mouse Ears

Jim Melchert, Ghost Plate with Mickey Mouse Ears, 1964, glazed earthenware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 2001.8
Copied Jim Melchert, Ghost Plate with Mickey Mouse Ears, 1964, glazed earthenware, 4 x 14 in. (10.2 x 35.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 2001.8

Artwork Details

Title
Ghost Plate with Mickey Mouse Ears
Artist
Date
1964
Location
Dimensions
4 x 14 in. (10.2 x 35.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the James Renwick Alliance
Mediums Description
glazed earthenware
Classifications
Subjects
  • State of being — phenomenon — occult
  • Cartoon — comics — Mickey Mouse
  • Figure male — full length
  • Figure — head
  • Architecture — vehicle
Object Number
2001.8
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2001.8

Artwork Description

Ghost Plate with Mickey Mouse Ears is Jim Melchert’s favorite piece from a series of works created in 1964. He was inspired by a line from Ingmar Bergman’s film The Silence that reads, “One must tread carefully among the ghosts in your past.” Melchert decorated the plates and jars of this series with masks and used them to work through issues from his past. The ghost in this piece wears a Mickey Mouse hat. This is a playful image, but is also meant to evoke the humiliation of a child wearing a dunce cap.