Guardian
Artist
Betty Parsons
American, 1900 - 1982
Date1980
MediumSalvaged wood, acrylic paint, nails, glue, felt-tipped pen
DimensionsOverall: 17 3/4 x 6 5/8 x 3 1/2 in. (45.1 x 16.8 x 8.9 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift to The Murray Collection in memory of Terry A. Murray
Object number1992.1.7
On View
Not on viewCollections
- Sculpture
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- American Paintings & Sculpture
SignedSee Inscriptions
InscribedIn felt marking pen, cursive, on the lower front horizontal element "Guardian 1980," and below that on the main vertical element "Betty Parsons". In thicker felt marker the dimensions "18 x 6 3/4 x 3 1/2" are written on the underside.
DescriptionThe central vertical wooden block is topped by a darker, small block with a triangular "pediment" above it giving it the appearance of a primitive lighthouse or tower. The holes in the main vertical element add a suggestion of a birdhouse. A large wedge has been cut from the back of the upper half of this central block. The front of this block is painted with two vertical green stripes and flanked by two wedges. These wedges are not part of the wide wedge cut from the back as they have wear on all four edges. The wedge on the right is painted all over with blocks and bands of blue, red, orange and rust. The opposite wedge is painted red on the tip with a blue band below it and on the bottom with similar stripes with a green-brown block at the bottom. A pale stripe of green is painted on the cross bar "nameplate" (see inscriptions) that is nailed near the base of the vertical and diagonally on the front of the pediment. On the back, blue and orange stripes occur on each element. The artist had a home in Southold, Long Island and salvaged wood on beaches there. She did not use natural 'driftwood' but found wooden elements from man-made objects (lobster pots) or installations (docks) that were set adrift. The lower crossbar looks like a piece of old lobster trap. The two upper elements are very dark and smell of tar or creosote, and is probably from a dock or pier treated for water resistance. This coating, which never really dries, is also oozing through the colors painted on these upper blocks.
Twisted picture hanging wire for hanging is looped through holes at the back of the vertical element.Exhibition History"The Murray Collection: Art of the Twentieth Century, Selections from the Permanent Collection," The Hyde Collection, Dec. 4, 1993 - Feb. 20, 1994.
"Pieces: Collage, Constructions, & Conceptual Art," Hoopes Gallery, The Hyde Collection, May, 15- Oct. 2005.ProvenanceNew York, NY, Kornblee Gallery
1981, New York, NY, Jane S. Murray
1992, Glens Falls, NY, The Hyde Collection Trust
