Mad Seen

1980

Henry Chalfant

Associated Names
Henry Chalfant

Artist, American, born 1940

This is a photograph of a subway train car covered in graffiti. The train car is painted with vibrant graffiti art that stretches across its entire side. The central part of the artwork features the word "MAD SEEN" painted in large, bold letters with a three-dimensional effect, predominantly in shades of orange and pink with black outlines. Above the letters, there is a thick, wavy outline painted in white, which transitions into a bright yellow color that creates a flame-like pattern. To the right of the text, there is a cartoon character painted in a playful pose with outstretched arms, wearing a pink outfit with a yellow border accent. Various tags and smaller pieces of writing are visible throughout the graffiti, including messages such as "Happy Birthday" written in black against the yellow background. The graffiti is vibrant and expressive, showcasing an urban art style characteristic of subway graffiti culture.
This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.

Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Samuel A. and Sandra Esses, East Hampton, NY; gift to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2003; acquired by NGA, 2015.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2006

  • redefined: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, July 15, 2006 – January 2, 2007

Inscriptions

signed by artist on mount, lower right below image in graphite: Henry Chalfant 1/25 '80; on verso of mount, by unknown hand, upper left in blue ink circled: 10; upper left: Mad SeeN; by Corcoran Gallery of Art, bottom right in graphite: 2003.17.12

Wikidata ID

Q64155034

You may be interested in

Loading Results