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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

The Great Red Rock

1919

Birger Sandzén

Associated Names

Birger Sandzén

Artist, American, born Sweden, 1871 - 1954

The image depicts a large rock formation seen from a low angle against the sky. The horizon is not prominently shown. The rock dominates the composition, extending from the bottom to the top of the image. The brushstrokes are bold and expressive, creating texture on the rock and the sky. The color palette is monochromatic using black and white to highlight the details of the rocks and the sky. Overall, the scene conveys a sense of grandeur, capturing the scale and beauty of the natural structure.

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Artwork overview

Medium

lithograph in black
Credit Line

Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Dimensions

image: 52.71 × 61.6 cm (20 3/4 × 24 1/4 in.)
sheet: 40.32 × 45.72 cm (15 7/8 × 18 in.)
Accession Number

2008.115.5243
Catalogue Raisonné

Greenough 2001, no. L42 (lithographs)

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Matthew S. Marks. Ltd., New York, NY); Dave and Reba Williams, Greenwich, CT, November 1986; gift to NGA, December 2008

Associated Names

Dave H. and Reba W. Williams

Bibliography

2001

Greenough, Charles Pelham. The Graphic Work of Birger Sandzén. Lindsborg, KS: Birger Sandzén Memorial Foundation, 2001, no. L42.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: Birger Sandzen; lower right in graphite: The Great Red Rock 50

Wikidata ID

Q76552872

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