The Movie Star and the Tiger Need One Another

Thornton Dial, Sr., The Movie Star and the Tiger Need One Another, March 1992, charcoal, graphite, and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.25
Thornton Dial, Sr., The Movie Star and the Tiger Need One Another, March 1992, charcoal, graphite, and watercolor on paper, sheet and image: 22 1⁄2 in. × 30 in. (57.2 × 76.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.25

Artwork Details

Title
The Movie Star and the Tiger Need One Another
Artist
Date
March 1992
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 22 1⁄2 in. × 30 in. (57.2 × 76.2 cm)
Credit Line
The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson
Mediums Description
charcoal, graphite, and watercolor on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — bird
  • Figure female — nude
  • Performing arts — theater — performer
  • Animal — tiger
Object Number
2016.38.25
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2016.38.25

Artwork Description

The tiger became Dial’s trademark symbol for African Americans—fierce, nimble, and regal but also feared, maligned, and hunted. Their jungle environment was a metaphor for America, a place as bountiful and beautiful as it was treacherous. Here Dial considers the power of relationships and unlikely alliances. He contrasts the social power and privilege of celebrity with the instincts and ferocity of the tiger, suggesting that each has unique strengths, and that teamwork is the ultimate tool for survival.
(We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection, 2022)

Works by this artist (314 items)

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Henry Wolf, Portrait of a Lady, 1906, wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.228
Portrait of a Lady
Artist
Date1906
wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Mrs. Alexander Campbell, 1913, photomechanical wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.282
Mrs. Alexander Campbell
Artist
Date1913
photomechanical wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Mrs. Deborah Franklin, 1898, wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.160
Mrs. Deborah Franklin
Artist
Date1898
wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Miss Eleanor Gordon, 1908, photomechanical wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.238
Miss Eleanor Gordon
Artist
Date1908
photomechanical wood engraving on paper
Not on view

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