Nancy Graves

Showing How a Tent is Erected
1970

Vibrant, abstract painting depicting a colorful tent structure with various symbolic elements and annotations. The background is split horizontally with a bright orange lower half and a blue and red upper half. The tent is outlined with black lines and filled with shades of green, pink, and purple. Small figures resembling prayer flags hang from lines around the tent. On the left, a small green structure with a flame on top is labeled '3', while on the right, a black figure with green and pink wings is labeled '5'. In front of the tent, there are three colorful boxes labeled '6' and a teapot-like object with the same label. The bottom of the painting features handwritten notes explaining the elements within the artwork, and the year '1970' is visible at the bottom right corner.

Vibrant, abstract painting depicting a colorful tent structure with various symbolic elements and annotations. The background is split horizontally with a bright orange lower half and a blue and red upper half. The tent is outlined with black lines and filled with shades of green, pink, and purple. Small figures resembling prayer flags hang from lines around the tent. On the left, a small green structure with a flame on top is labeled '3', while on the right, a black figure with green and pink wings is labeled '5'. In front of the tent, there are three colorful boxes labeled '6' and a teapot-like object with the same label. The bottom of the painting features handwritten notes explaining the elements within the artwork, and the year '1970' is visible at the bottom right corner.

Not on view

Date
1970

Classification
Drawings

Medium
Opaque watercolor and pen and ink on paper

Dimensions
Sheet: 13 7/8 × 17in. (35.2 × 43.2 cm)

Accession number
70.1593

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase

Rights and reproductions
© The Nancy Graves Foundation, Inc. / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

API
artworks/1473

Nancy Graves
9 works in the collection

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