Central Africa? East Africa? 1960s, from Ubu centenaire: Histoire d'un farceur criminel

1996-1997

Robert Hodgins

Associated Names
Robert Hodgins

Artist, British, 1920 - 2010

Caversham Press

Publisher, founded 1985

This is a painting featuring human skull motifs and military figures in a stylized, illustrative manner. The scene depicts two cartoonish figures engaging in an action involving human skulls. One figure is in motion on the left, while the other is seated on a stool wearing a green and yellow sash resembling a military uniform. The background includes yellow with silhouetted tree-like shapes. The artwork predominantly uses black with accents of green and yellow. The style suggests a possible satirical or critical commentary on themes like power, politics, or history. The text at the bottom reads "Central Africa? East Africa? 1960s," indicating a geographical and temporal context. This artwork is in the style of Ralph Steadman.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    lithograph and screenprint on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Thomas G. Klarner

  • Dimensions

    image: 23.5 x 31 cm (9 1/4 x 12 3/16 in.)
    sheet: 35 x 49.8 cm (13 3/4 x 19 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2005.64.1.21

  • Series Title

    Ubu Centenaire

  • Portfolio Title

    UBU: ± 101

Associated Artworks

See all 24 artworks
The image displays a mixture of sharp and curved lines depicting an abstract humanoid figure under a showerhead with water flowing down. The scene is labeled "ACT 1 scene 1" in text at the top left corner. An abstract bird and a bowl are also present in the composition.

Act II, Scene 1, from Ubu Tells the Truth

William Kentridge, Caversham Press

1996

This is a photograph of a textual design. The image features the words "UBU centenaire" written in red ink towards the top center. Below, the text reads "Histoire d'un farceur criminel" in blue font. The design is set against an off-white background.

UBU: ± 101

William Kentridge, Robert Hodgins, Deborah Bell, Caversham Press

1997

The image shows a series of sweeping lines forming abstract shapes. One large, cone-like shape curves across the scene, connecting to a figure of a distorted human bending backward. In the background, a bicycle's outline and a bottle are visible among the abstract forms. The words "ACT I Scene 2" are inscribed in the upper left corner.

Act I, Scene 2, from Ubu Tells the Truth

William Kentridge, Caversham Press

1996

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Robert Brown Gallery, Arlington, October 5, 2000); purchased by Tom Klarner, Washington, DC, 2001; gift to NGA, 2005.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1997

  • Doepel, Rory. UBU: ± 101: William Kentridge, Robert Hodgins, Deborah Bell. Johannesburg, 1997: fig. 66, pages 61-65.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: 14/50 Hodgins / 96; under image in blue: Central Africa? East Africa? 1960s

Markings

BS: CC

Watermarks

FABRIANO

Wikidata ID

Q76356170

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