The Block Head

started 1979, published 1981

Edward Kienholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz

Associated Names
Edward Kienholz

Artist, American, 1927 - 1994

Nancy Reddin Kienholz

Artist, American, 1943 - 2019

Jeff Sanders

Edition Production, American, active late 20th century

Wayne Nielsen

Edition Production, American, active late 20th century

Gemini G.E.L.

Publisher

The sculpture depicts a vintage television set. It is made from a material resembling concrete or plaster, with a textured gray surface. A wooden frame surrounds the screen, and it includes a brown leather handle on top. The television has metal knobs with a shiny finish and an antenna extending upwards from the top, referencing an old-fashioned television design. The piece has a utilitarian aesthetic reminiscent of mid-20th-century objects.
This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    concrete and pumice construction block with wooden bevel, Fresnel lens system, television knobs, leather handle, and transistor radio, dripped with polyester resin

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gemini G.E.L. and the Artist

  • Dimensions

    overall: 31.8 x 21.6 x 31.1 cm (12 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 12 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1981.5.273

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles, California; acquired 1981 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1966

  • Gemini G.E.L. Sequence List. Los Angeles, California: Gemini G.E.L., unpublished, no. 896.

1984

  • Fine, Ruth E. Gemini G.E.L.: Art and Collaboration. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1984, p. 220, fig. 93a.

2011

  • Ritchie, Charles. Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonné. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2011, no. 29.11. http://www.nga.gov/gemini

Inscriptions

engraved lower center verso on adhered brass plate: Kienholz GEM I

Markings

printed lower center verso on adhered brass plate: [Gemini G.E.L.] Gemini G.E.L. / Los Angeles 90069 / The Block Head / Ed. K 79-2052 / © Copyright Gemini G.E.L. 1979

Wikidata ID

Q63860815

You may be interested in

Loading Results