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Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

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

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
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

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

Joe

1975

John Wilson

Associated Names

John Wilson

Artist, American, 1922 - 2015

The image shows a person standing upright in a room. The person is holding a bicycle by the handlebars with their left hand, while their right hand is by their side. The individual has a full beard and curly, dark hair. Their facial features are accentuated with well-defined eyebrows and deep-set eyes. They are wearing a red t-shirt with a white horizontal stripe, green shorts, black shoes, and a blue and white beaded necklace. The background has white-paneled walls, a window showing rooftops, and a warm wooden floor.

This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.

On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G26

Artwork overview

Medium

colored crayon and charcoal on paper
Credit Line

Avalon Fund and Gift of the family of John Wilson in honor of Shelley Langdale
Dimensions

sheet: 195.9 × 108.27 cm (77 1/8 × 42 5/8 in.)
framed: 195.9 × 108.27 × 2.86 cm (77 1/8 × 42 5/8 × 1 1/8 in.)
Accession Number

2022.27.1
Volume Title

Young Americans
Copyright

© The Estate of John Wilson

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Estate of the artist; purchased by NGA, 2022

Associated Names

Martha Richardson Fine Art

Exhibition History

1975

Jubilee: Afro-American Artists on Afro-America, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in cooperation with the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, 1975-1976.

1992

Bicycles in Art, Maritain Gallery, Loveland, OH, 1992.

2015

John Wilson: The Young Americans, Martha Richardson Fine Art, Boston, 2015.

2026

Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2025-2026, fig. 112, repro.

Bibliography

2025

Farrell, Jennifer, King-Hammond, Leslie, Murphy, Patrick, and Saywell, Edward .John Wilson: Witnessing Humanity. Exh. cat. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2025-2026: 146, 152, 199, fig. 112

Inscriptions

"Wilson 1975" lower right composition.

Watermarks

(unknown/not visible; object is framed)

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