Yang Na

Tony Berlant, Yang Na, 1984-1986, sheet metal, wood, steel brads, 282828 in. (71.171.171.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gerald and Kathleen Peters, 2008.29

Artwork Details

Title
Yang Na
Artist
Date
1984-1986
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
282828 in. (71.171.171.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Gerald and Kathleen Peters
Mediums Description
sheet metal, wood, steel brads
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — furniture — chair
  • Landscape
Object Number
2008.29

Artwork Description

In Yang Na, Tony Berlant collaged colorful, geometric pieces of metal and peppered them with steel brads, creating a surface that looks like a quilt. Berlant began making cubes with found metal in 1964 and continues to work with the material, transforming discarded advertising signs, scrap metal, and storage tins into vibrant sculptures. In this work, the artist plays with perspective and spatial relationships. He placed an image of an empty chair in one of the cube’s corners, as if inviting us to sit and ponder the bucolic scene. The title refers to the village of the Gabrielino tribe called Yang Na, which later became the city of Los Angeles. Berlant's work is often influenced by American Indian art and culture, and he is an avid collector of Mimbres pottery and Navajo blankets.

Works by this artist (22 items)

Eddie Arning, Birds, 1969, crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.163
Birds
Date1969
crayon on paper
Not on view
Eddie Arning, Six Figures with Pigeons and Buildings, 1970, oil pastel on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Sackton, 1987.51.7
Six Figures with Pigeons and Buildings
Date1970
oil pastel on paper
Not on view
Eddie Arning, Two Soldiers, ca. 1968, crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Sackton, 1987.51.9
Two Soldiers
Dateca. 1968
crayon on paper
Not on view
Eddie Arning, Two Houses, 1967, crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Sackton, 1987.51.2
Two Houses
Date1967
crayon on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Seymour Lipton, Untitled, 1959, oil crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alan Lipton and Michael Lipton, 1994.98.2, © 1994, Michael Lipton and Alan Lipton
Untitled
Date1959
oil crayon on paper
Not on view
Eddie Arning, Birds, 1969, crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.163
Birds
Date1969
crayon on paper
Not on view
Gene Davis, Untitled, 1976, pencil, colored pencil, and crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Florence Coulson Davis, 2000.43.12
Untitled
Date1976
pencil, colored pencil, and crayon on paper
Not on view
Joseph Stella, Pine Tree, 1919, silverpoint and crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Caroline Keck, 2008.17
Pine Tree
Date1919
silverpoint and crayon on paper
Not on view