Billy, Life Dances On...

c. 1980

Robert Frank

Associated Names
Robert Frank

Artist, American, born Switzerland, 1924 - 2019

This is a collage featuring two portraits of the same man. In the left image, he is standing in a hallway with a cigarette in his mouth, wearing a plaid shirt, dark windbreaker jacket, and a name tag on his shirt pocket. He appears playful with squinted eyes and a smirk. In the right image, he stands against a white wall, wearing the same plaid shirt. His expression is neutral to confident with a slightly tilted head. The backgrounds differ: the left has a corridor with numbered doors, while the right is a plain white wall.

Media Options

This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

PaceWildensteinMacGill, New York, NY; purchased with donated funds from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, The Lemon Foundation, and Ann L. Ugelow by NGA, 1994.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1989

  • Frank, Robert. The Lines of My Hand. New York: Pantheon Books, 1989: pl. 102.

Inscriptions

across bottom in black ink: please use Quote from Film: you shouldn't have done that--I've given you my innermost thoughts. (Bill) / Life dances on...; upper right verso in black ink: Life dances on / 1980 / photos must be returned / to R. FRANK / 7 Bleecker / NYC 10012; lower right verso in black ink: R. Frank.; all by later hands: upper left verso in graphite: 3040-VII / Tirape Valencia; upper right verso in graphite: 3040-VII / LOMH 102 / RF.268 / 10; lower left verso in graphite: 104

Wikidata ID

Q64164045

You may be interested in

Loading Results