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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

Cologne Beggars IV (Kölner Bettler IV)

1972

Sigmar Polke

Associated Names

Sigmar Polke

Artist, German, 1941 - 2010

In the image, a man is kneeling on the ground while playing a guitar. He wears a hat that casts a shadow over his face, making his facial features indistinct. The man is dressed in a long coat, trousers, and shoes. In the background, a crowd of people is watching him. The individuals are mostly dressed in coats and some are wearing hats. The background appears to be a public space, potentially an outdoor urban area.

This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.

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Artwork overview

Medium

offset lithograph in black on wove paper
Credit Line

Gift of Wolfgang Wittrock, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

image: 33 x 44.1 cm (13 x 17 3/8 in.)
sheet: 42.9 x 60.8 cm (16 7/8 x 23 15/16 in.)
Accession Number

1991.57.13
Series Title

Cologne Beggars (Kölner Bettler)

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1991

Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1991, 444, color repro.

Bibliography

1991

Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1991: p.444.
Paoletti, J., PCN, May-June 1991, #19.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: 49/100; lower right in graphite: Sigmar Polke; lower left verso in graphite P13 d

Wikidata ID

Q74888280

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