Ward Shelley

Downtown Body
2008

A detailed, colorful conceptual map titled "Downtown Body," which appears to chart historical and cultural movements, events, and figures in a style reminiscent of a subway map. The timeline spans from the 1900s to the 1990s, with various lines representing different themes such as literature, theater, music, and social movements, intersecting and branching throughout the image. Each line is annotated with key names and events, and the overall design mimics the complexity and interconnectedness of a city's transit system.

A detailed, colorful conceptual map titled "Downtown Body," which appears to chart historical and cultural movements, events, and figures in a style reminiscent of a subway map. The timeline spans from the 1900s to the 1990s, with various lines representing different themes such as literature, theater, music, and social movements, intersecting and branching throughout the image. Each line is annotated with key names and events, and the overall design mimics the complexity and interconnectedness of a city's transit system.

Not on view

Date
2008

Classification
Drawings

Medium
Offset color lithograph and opaque watercolor on plastic

Dimensions
Sheet: 33 1/2 × 60 1/8in. (85.1 × 152.7 cm)

Accession number
2010.2

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Drawing Committee

Rights and reproductions
© Ward Shelley

API
artworks/36202

Ward Shelley
1 work in the collection

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