Perpetual Motion
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Object Details
- Date
- ca. 1970
- Artist
- Beatrice Wood, born San Francisco, CA 1893-died Ojai, CA 1998
- Luce Center Label
- Beatrice Wood began to create sculptures like this woman in the early 1970s, calling them “sophisticated primitives.” She intended for these sculptures to appear humorous, and used them to reflect her feelings about society, human behavior, and gender relationships. The woman, presumably a prostitute, happily sits on a chair wearing an oversized hat and a strapless dress that reveals her slip at the bottom. Wood often said that she would make figural sculptures such as Perpetual Motion in order to take a refreshing break from making pots.
- Luce Object Quote
- “I make naughty figures to laugh and comment on this funny world in which we are caught.” Beatrice Wood, quoted in the exhibition catalogue for Intimate Appeal: The Figurative Art of Beatrice Wood, 1989
- Topic
- Dress\accessory\hat
- Figure female\full length
- Object\furniture\chair
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Renwick Gallery
- On View
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor, 53B
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of George C. Zachary in memory of Devlin Mario Archie
- Copyright
- © 1970, Radha R. Sloss, Conservator for Beatrice Wood
- Data Source
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Object number
- 1994.104
- Type
- Decorative Arts-Ceramic
- Crafts
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Medium
- glazed earthenware
- Dimensions
- 19 1/4 x 13 1/2 x 14 3/4 in. (49.0 x 34.3 x 37.5 cm)
- Metadata Usage
- Not determined
- Record ID
- saam_1994.104