Cervix Dollar Bill

1970

Ray Johnson

Associated Names
Ray Johnson

Artist, American, 1927 - 1995

The image contains various shapes and lines arranged in an abstract composition. A rectangular collage is on the left, partially covering a painting of the Mona Lisa. It features black-and-white patterns, text, and graphics similar to newspaper clippings, with a Vicks VapoRub container at the bottom. On the right side, there is a large triangular shape filled with white dots on a black background, resembling a night sky. A dollar bill is at the top, and three smaller shapes below mimic stylized vases. The elements, including the dollar bill and Vicks container, connect familiar objects with creative design.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Dr. and Mrs. Jacob Weinstein, Washington, DC; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1972; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1970

  • Ray Johnson: Dollar Bill Show, Richard Feigen Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, 1970 (Sept 16 - Oct 17, 1970)

1979

  • Recent Acquisitions: Drawings, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1979 (June 1 - July 15, 1979)

1984

  • Works by Ray Johnson, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York, 1984, p. 31, no. 41, repro (Feb 7 - Apr 8, 1984)

1986

  • American Masters: Works on Paper from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 1986-1988, pp. 92-93, no. 57, repro

1999

  • Ray Johnson: Correspondences, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, 1999-2000, no. 111, repro (Whitney: Jan 14 - March 21, 1999) (Wexner: Sep 16 - Dec 31, 2000)

2006

  • Redefined: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2006

2018

  • Sense of Humor: Caricature, Satire, and the Comical in Prints and Drawings from Leonardo to the Present, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2018 - 2019.

Bibliography

1983

  • Simmons, Linda Crocker and with the assistance of Adrianne J. Humphrey, et al. American Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels, and Collages in the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983: p. 234, no. 1568.

Inscriptions

lower center in graphite: Ray Johnson 1970; upper center verso in red ink: Top / Cervix Dollar Bill / by Ray Johnson / 1970 / 20 x 29

Wikidata ID

Q64620077

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