Black Painting

1952

Robert Rauschenberg

Associated Names
Robert Rauschenberg

Artist, American, 1925 - 2008

This painting features dark, jagged shapes and contrasting textures forming an abstract composition. Irregular patches of dark gray, light gray, and tan are visible against a black background. The surface resembles weathered metal or charred wood. The material the paint has been applied over has become puckered and crinkled, creating ridges and lines.
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On View

East Building Upper Level, Gallery E403

Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

In this black and white photograph, a woman wearing a black dress leans toward an arched mirror set into a wall, so we see the woman twice in this double portrait. We are situated slightly below her so we look up at the woman, who gazes down and to our right. The surface of the wall is smooth but lightly textured, like adobe. Trees reflected in the mirror indicate that this is outdoors. The woman in front of us takes up the left half of the composition. She faces our right in profile and leans to our right, at the far edge of the mirror. Her dark hair is pulled up in ribbon entwined braids. She wears long, chandelier style earrings and her high-necked black dress has puffed, lace sleeves. We see her face straight on in the mirror’s reflection. The woman’s distinctive brows knit together over her rounded nose.

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Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist; by gift or trade c. 1959/1960 to Jasper Johns, New York;[1] gift 2013 to NGA.
[1] This information was provided to NGA by Jasper Johns; see the e-mail of 31 July 2014 from his studio assistant, in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1996

  • The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: 1945 to 1995, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1996, no. 131.

2009

  • The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: Selected Works, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2009-2010, no. 93, repro.

2017

  • Robert Rauschenberg, Tate, London; Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 2016-2018, no. 18 (shown only in San Francisco).

Bibliography

1996

  • The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: 1945 to 1995. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1996: no. 131.

Inscriptions

upper right reverse, on the original canvas: RAUSCHENBERG / 52 / BLACK PAINTING; upper left reverse, on the lining, signed by the artist in 1984: BLACK PAINTING [each word underlined] / BOB RAUSCHENBERG / 1952

Wikidata ID

Q20194514

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