Untitled (Letterbox)

1964

Ray Johnson

Associated Names
Ray Johnson

Sculptor, American, 1927 - 1995

The image depicts an old metallic filing cabinet with vertical slots filled with folders or papers. The cabinet has decorative cut-outs and handles. In front of the cabinet, various papers and envelopes are spread out on a flat surface, including postcards, photographs, and typed sheets. The contents appear to be historical correspondence or archival documents, with different colors and text hinting at various types of media. The composition suggests an exploration of memory or documentation through tangible objects.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    mixed media assemblage

  • Credit Line

    Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 43.8 x 31.8 x 11.4 cm (17 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2006.56.1.1-121

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist; probably a gift 1964 to David Bourdon [1934-1998], New York; his estate; purchased 1999 by (Virginia Green, New York);[1] private collection; (Hackett-Freedman Gallery, San Francisco); purchased 12 June 2006 by NGA.
[1] Letter, 16 April 2013, Les Levine (executor of Bourdon's estate) to the NGA, and notes from a telephone conversation, 21 January 2010, between NGA staff and Frances Beatty; both in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1976

  • An Exhibition of the Letters of Ray Johnson, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, 1976, selected envelopes and their contents, no. 18 (number assigned to the lender, David Bourdon), repros.

1991

  • More Works by Ray Johnson, 1951-1991, Goldie Paley Gallery, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, 1991, unnumbered catalogue.

1999

  • Ray Johnson: Correspondences, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, 1999 (New York) and 2000 (Columbus), unnumbered catalogue, repro.

2005

  • Jess -- Word Pictures -- Ray Johnson: Paste-ups, Moticos and Assemblages 1951-1997, Art Basel, Hackett-Freedman Gallery booth, Miami Beach, 2005, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

Inscriptions

stamped on bottom: JUL 28 1964

Wikidata ID

Q63864362

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