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 (1 item)

Robert A. Darrah Miller, Farm, 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.140
Farm
Date1933-1934
oil on canvas
Not on view

Videos

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 2:51
Loaded: 0.00%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 2:51
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected

      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

      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
      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
      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
      Date1977
      lithograph
      Not on view
      Nathan Oliveira, Site with Blue and White, 1978, monotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Moses Lasky, 2004.32.14
      Site with Blue and White
      Date1978
      monotype
      Not on view