Eye and Barbed Wire

1939

Nathan Lerner

Associated Names
Nathan Lerner

Artist, American, 1913 - 1997

The image shows twisted metal wires and a simulated eyeball on a rough terrain of gritty earth and jagged rocks. It is presented in black and white, with a grayscale color palette. The eyeball is partially buried in the soil towards the right side, while the metal wires stretch diagonally from the top left to the bottom right, casting shadows on the ground. Rocks of different sizes and textures are scattered unevenly over the surface.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Kiyoko Lerner

  • Dimensions

    image: 35.5 × 47.9 cm (14 × 18 7/8 in.)
    sheet: 40.8 × 50.6 cm (16 1/16 × 19 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2012.115.74

More About this Artwork

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Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Nathan Lerner; Estate of Nathan Lerner, Chicago, 1997; gift to NGA, 2012.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

on verso, by unknown hand, center in graphite: "Eye and Barbed Wire" / Nathan Lerner / 1939; lower left in graphite: #39.4.3; bottom left in graphite: INV#266

Wikidata ID

Q64158462

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