Dad on the Bed, from the series Pictures from Home

Larry Sultan, Dad on the Bed, from the series Pictures from Home, 1984, chromogenic print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.17.1, © 1984, Larry Sultan
Copied Larry Sultan, Dad on the Bed, from the series Pictures from Home, 1984, chromogenic print, 36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.17.1, © 1984, Larry Sultan

Artwork Details

Title
Dad on the Bed, from the series Pictures from Home
Artist
Date
1984
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm)
Copyright
© 1984, Larry Sultan
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
chromogenic print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Interior — domestic — bedroom
  • Figure male — full length
Object Number
2010.17.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2010.17.1

Artwork Description

Larry Sultan returned to his parents’ home as an adult, camera in hand, to explore his past. Compiling “found” photographs—snapshots and portraits his parents collected in scrapbooks or frames printed from old home movies—with his own images, he created a narrative of their life in the postwar California suburbs. This portrait of his father is simultaneously affectionate and awkward. It shows the respect of a son for his father, as well as his father’s frustration; a corporate executive with Schick who was forced into early retirement, he now finds himself quite literally all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Close to Home: Photographers and their Families, 2011