Untitled

Sophie Rivera, Untitled, 1978, printed 2006, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.24.2, © 1978, Sophie Rivera
Sophie Rivera, Untitled, 1978, printed 2006, gelatin silver print, sheet and image: 4848 in. (121.9121.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.24.2, © 1978, Sophie Rivera

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Date
1978, printed 2006
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 4848 in. (121.9121.9 cm)
Copyright
© 1978, Sophie Rivera
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — unidentified
Object Number
2011.24.2

Artwork Description

Rivera’s monumental portraits of Puerto Ricans in New York (or Nuyoricans) counteract the stereotypes that have circulated in the mass media. The artist found her subjects by asking passersby outside her building if they were Puerto Ricans. If they said yes, she invited them to her studio and photographed them against a dark background. Rivera’s subjects remain anonymous but never powerless. Her direct photographs allow the unassuming individuality of everyday people to speak for itself.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013

Description in Spanish

Los retratos monumentales de Rivera de puertorriqueños en Nueva York (o nuyoricans) contrarrestan los estereotipos que han circulado en los medios masivos. La artista encontró a sus sujetos preguntándoles a quienes pasaban frente a su edificio si eran puertorriqueños. Si decían que sí, los invitaba a su estudio y los fotografiaba ante un fondo oscuro. Los sujetos de Rivera se mantienen anónimos pero nunca desprovistos de poder. Sus fotografías directas permiten que la individualidad modesta de la gente común hable por sí misma.

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

Works by this artist (55 items)

Ellsworth Kelly, Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.30
Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red Blue, 1964, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.28
Red Blue
Date1964
screenprint
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red over Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.29
Red over Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
Not on view

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      In this series, E. Carmen Ramos, curator of Latino art, discusses the exhibition Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This episode looks at two untitled photographs by Sophie Rivera

      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. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's pioneering collection of Latino art. It explores how Latino artists shaped the artistic movements of their day and recalibrated key themes in American art and culture. 

      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.

      More Artworks from the Collection

      Bohyun Yoon, Glass Tube, 2012, glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Giselle and Ben Huberman, 2012.57A-L, © 2012, Bohyun Yoon
      Glass Tube
      Date2012
      glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes
      Not on view
      Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28
      Salish Clam Basket
      Date2008
      glass
      On view
      Killer Whale Hat
      Date2002
      blown and sand carved glass
      Not on view
      Ché Rhodes, Untitled, 2007, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Merrily Orsini and Frederick Heath, 2021.57A-D
      Untitled
      Date2007
      glass
      On view