Animations:

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

Open 10:00–5:00

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

Master of the Universe

2010

Mel Bochner

Associated Names

Mel Bochner

Painter, American, 1940 - 2025

This painting contains bold, uppercase letters in different colors arranged against a background of twelve colorful horizontal stripes. The letters and background stripes are all in different colors, including blues, greens, reds, yellows, pinks, oranges, and browns. Some letters are hard to read against the stripes, while others stand out.

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

oil and acrylic on canvas
Credit Line

Gift of Anita and Burton Reiner
Dimensions

overall (two panels): 254 × 190.5 cm (100 × 75 in.)
Accession Number

2018.192.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Peter Freeman, Inc., New York); purchased 2012 by Anita [d. 2013] and Burton Reiner, Bethesda, Maryland; gift 2018 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2011

In the Tower: Mel Bochner, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2011-2012.

Wikidata ID

Q108687031

You may be interested in