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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Starting June 3
Exhibitions & Events
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Mother and Child

1950

Charles Alston

Associated Names

Charles Alston

Artist, American, 1907 - 1977

The image displays elongated vertical shapes and curvilinear lines in vivid red, orange, yellow hues intersecting with deep blacks to create an abstract composition. The patterns resemble figures, such as a towering form that suggests a cloaked figure holding a smaller one. The abstract portrayal allows for interpretation of familiar objects within the swirling lines and color gradients, evoking a sense of depth and juxtaposition similar to a stained glass window or a mural rich with layered imagery.

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Artwork overview

Medium

collage with pastel, ink, charcoal, and masking tape, on thin paper mounted on a heavier sheet
Credit Line

Gift in honor of Ruth Fine from her friends at the National Gallery of Art and Billy E. Hodges
Dimensions

image: 210.19 x 26.35 cm (82 3/4 x 10 3/8 in.) irregular
Accession Number

2012.17.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

artist's estate; (Billl Hodges Gallery, New York); purchased by NGA, 2012

Associated Names

Bill Hodges Gallery

Exhibition History

2019

The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2019 - 2020, unnumbered catalogue.

Markings

artist's estate ink stamp, lower margin

Wikidata ID

Q64538171

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