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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
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Plus Tax: Shopping Bag Society, Rag Man Series

1971

John Outterbridge

Associated Names

John Outterbridge

Sculptor, American, 1933 - 2020

The sculpture features a large, rectangular bag adorned with various color tags. The bag is crafted from a fabric or canvas-like material and painted in blue, green, and red. The front of the bag displays the words "PLUS TAX" on the left and "BAG" repeated vertically on the right in a block-style font. The bag is decorated with tags in red, green, and beige, hanging from the top by strings. It stands upright on a base with handles folded over the top, appearing worn or vintage.

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Artwork overview

Medium

mixed media
Credit Line

Purchased with funds from The Ahmanson Foundation and Howard and Roberta Ahmanson
Dimensions

overall: 50.8 × 34.3 × 19.1 cm (20 × 13 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.)
Accession Number

2020.12.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist; private collection, Los Angeles; private collection, Las Vegas; consigned to (Tilton Gallery, New York); purchased May 2020 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1972

Eleven from California, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY, 1972, as Untitled Shopping Bag.

1982

John Outterbridge 1970-1982, Brockman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1982. no catalogue.

2018

John Outterbridge, Tilton Gallery, New York, NY, November 2018 - February 2019, no catalogue.

2019

Unseen Works: David Hammons and Friends, Tilton Gallery, New York, NY, 2019, no catalogue.

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