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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

Civic Piece

1986

John Baldessari

Associated Names

John Baldessari

Artist, American, 1931 - 2020

The image features a collage of rectangular shapes arranged in a grid pattern. Photographs are predominantly black and white with an abstract green rock formation in the center. Faces in the photographs are obscured by white circles, creating an abstract effect. The images depict people engaging in various activities like shaking hands, receiving awards, or using microphones. One person is shown wearing a sports jacket with "Los Angeles" on it. The scenes evoke formal gatherings, such as award ceremonies or public announcements, with all faces intentionally masked, giving the scene a surreal, anonymous quality.

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Artwork overview

Medium

gelatin silver prints with oil tinting and gouache
Credit Line

Gift of Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg
Dimensions

overall: 270.51 × 184.79 × 2.54 cm (106 1/2 × 72 3/4 × 1 in.)
Accession Number

2025.16.57.a-e

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles); Bernard and Lenore Greenberg, Los Angeles, April 1987; gift to NGA, 2025.

Associated Names

Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Greenberg

Exhibition History

1986

John Baldessari Exhibition, Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles, September 13 - October 18, 1986.

1987

Toyama Now '87, Museum of Modern Art, Toyama, Japan, July 4 - September 19, 1987, pg. 25.

1990

John Baldessari, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, March 25 - June 17, 1990; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, July 12 - September 9, 1990; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, October 16, 1990 - January 6, 1991; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, February 3 - April 28, 1991; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, July 10 - October 13, 1991; Musee d'Arte Contemporain de Montreal, November 21, 1991 - February 13, 1992, pg. 189.

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